Tough as Nails
by njeha
Summary: What if Derek didn't meet Meredith at the bar, but her best friend Celia Chávez? Celia has a dark past and is more twisted then Meredith. How different would things be now that Celia is in the picture? Read how Celia and Meredith progresses from Interns to Attendings. Celia is Tough as Nails, has a cold exterior and is very impassive. Would Seattle Grace be able to change Celia?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 1:**

Celia felt odd. Without opening her eyes, she allowed her senses to discover her surroundings. Ok … so definitely not in a bed, the texture of whatever she was sleeping on felt rough, definitely not cotton or silk sheets. In fact, she could sense that she was covered in a wool blanket and …

OH MY GOD! Naked, why is she _naked_? Okay, think Celia, think. Last night you went with Meredith to a bar to have a few drinks for well, Meredith's nerves, since she was nervous about today. SHIT! Today is her first day as an intern, crap she hoped she wasn't late otherwise she would pulverize Meredith for pushing that damn bottle of tequila on her. Meredith knew that Celia had a hard time saying no to tequila.

A hand just tugged her closer, and she felt her back leaning onto a muscled chest. Okay, she had sex. She remembered picking up some random guy at the bar and had sex. Easy peasy, she'll just kick him out and rush over to the hospital.

Opening her chocolate brown eyes, she scoped the premises and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she recognized it to be the living room of Mer's house; the house she inherited from her mother. That's good; she was in no mood and had absolutely no time to do the walk of shame, especially _not_ today of all days.

She grabbed the arm that had a strong hold on her toned stomach and yanked it off her. A yelp resounded in her ear, signaling that she woke up the random guy and she sat up straight, finally taking a proper look at the stranger she had unfortunately hooked up with; crap, did he have to be sexy as hell?

He had perfect hair, and when Celia says perfect, she means utterly wow! It was the definition of perfectness, like he could be a freaking hair model for the head and shoulders commercial. Anyways, he had raven black perfect hair that was perfectly moussed, a well-sculpted face that could be a replica of Adonis, and entrancing blue-blue eyes that sparkled with some sort of emotion; he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen, and damn his body was fucking … Okay! Celia snap out of it! He is just a one-night stand, and you are NOT looking for a relationship.

"This … is …? Adonis had a voice that could melt butter; Frick! Why couldn't he be ugly as hell? That way she could just forget all about him and move on with her life. Nope, nope, who cares what he looks like? She is going to kick him out and forget that this morning AND last night ever happened. Okay, he was holding her bra in his hand.

Snatching it from his hand, she barely gave him a smile, "This is just a casual hookup, never to be repeated again. You can go now."

Adonis apparently wasn't bothered by her cold tone and uncaring nature – seriously? Who is this guy? Celia had a reputation for scaring people away since she had the personality … according to Meredith: Tough as Nails and the queen of bitchiness. But she progressed.

"Why don't you just come back down here and we'll pick up where we left off?" Adonis smirked, sitting up and staring at her with suggestive eyes. He was SMIRKING at her, WTF?

"Yeaahh, how about, no," Celia drawled. She stood up, not caring that she was completely naked and not bothering to wrap a blanket around her – she was very confident about herself and the guy already saw her naked so whatever. She wasn't like those prude woman that are so shy about themselves and fumble around nervously for whatever reason, blushing like innocent virgins. No, Celia was anything but an innocent virgin and she didn't care what people thought about her. "You have to go. I'm late for my first day of work, NOT that it's any of your business."

Adonis – and no, she didn't care what his name was, gawked at her body, his eyes roaming around every curve and every valley. He never knew a girl that was so confident to just strut around naked in front of a stranger, even if he had seen it all. Shaking his head from thoughts of her delectable and perfect body, and what he would like to do to her, he looked into her chocolate eyes, "So, ah you actually live here?"

"No," Celia began picking up each piece of clothing that was strewn around the living room.

"Oh," Adonis looked slightly uncomfortable. Celia rolled her eyes; he probably thought she broke into some poor sap's home.

"It's my best friend's place," Celia decided to throw the poor guy a bone.

"Oh," Adonis smiled. "It's nice. Little dusty. Odd. But it's nice."

Celia threw his clothes at him, and Adonis caught them … hmm, quick reflexes. "I'll make sure to tell my friend you said so. You can show yourself out," and without sparing the bemused man a second glance, Celia gathered her clothes and walked up the stairs still naked as the day she was born.

"Can I at least get a name?" Adonis yelled after her. Celia inwardly smirked, he was certainly interesting – the first guy that didn't seem to be intimidated by her. She didn't bother answering him as she entered the room Meredith assigned as hers and went into the shower.

Twenty minutes later, Celia ran into the kitchen for some coffee before heading off to work and glared when she found her best friend smirking at her.

Meredith Grey; that was her name. Celia and Meredith were childhood friends in Seattle, and their parents always set them up for play dates together before they could even begin to walk and talk. However, it all fall apart when Celia's dad died … so not getting into the how part. Not even a year later, her mother, Sophie met an outstanding, extremely rich and famous neurosurgeon, Noah Chamberlain. Sophie Chávez wasted no time in bagging the handsome, billionaire and moving them to Beverly Hills where Celia lived the life of riches and parties.

Celia wanted to become a surgeon, much to her mother's horror and disapproval; according to Sophie Chamberlain, a girl of her standards should become a model or a fancy trophy wife. But Noah was very enthusiastic and supportive of her choice, even though he knew on some level that he wasn't her inspiration. Her late father, Antonio Chavez was a pediatrician – he had a small practice, and even though it didn't bring a lot of dough, he loved helping children and Celia loved her father, he was her idol.

After graduating from Beverly Hills High, despite her mother's incessant nagging, Noah paid full tuition for Celia to attend Dartmouth, the prestigious Ivy League College, and that was where she reconnected with her childhood friend Meredith. They studied together, travelled together and had high goals of becoming famous surgeons, dreaming of winning the Harper Avery Award, and together they accepted the internship at Seattle Grace.

"I am going to kill you, Mer! I woke up with some _guy_ on the couch! Where the hell were you?" Celia snapped. She wasn't actually pissed at her, more annoyed.

"Uh, well … I met a guy and had an all-nighter, he left the same time your guy did," Meredith laughed.

So, some people may think we're whores for divulging in one-night stands, but the two of us are fucked up, and when Celia says fucked up, she means majorly twisted women. They have a past, and hey, who doesn't? Their dark and twisted past made them who they are today, and even though many judged them and stays clear from them, they always had each other and it would always remain that way.

Celia and Meredith reached Seattle Grace thankfully right on time, and they stood with the other interns as some doctor, who cares what his name is, gave them a lecture, or speech, _whatever_.

"Each of you comes here hopeful. Wanting in on the game. A month ago you were in med school being taught by doctors. Today, you are the doctors. The seven years you spend here as a surgical resident will be the best and the worst of your life. You will be pushed to the breaking point. Look around you. Say hello to your competition. Eight of you will switch to an easier specialty. Five of you will crack under the pressure. Two of you will be asked to leave. This is your starting line. This is your arena. How well you play? That's up to you."

"We're screwed," Meredith whispered to Celia as the two girls made their way over to the intern locker room.

Celia scoffed, "Speak for yourself. Come on Mer, we can do this, stop worrying."

"Only seven women out of twenty," Meredith sucked in a breath.

"That's because most woman think like my dear old mother and are out there being housewives," snorted Celia. There was a scoff on her right, and the two girls stared at a Korean intern, "Yeah, I hear one of them's a model. Seriously, like that's going to help with the respect thing." Celia shrugged, her mother wanted her to be a model, especially since she had the perfect body for it – she vehemently refused because she wanted to be respected for her brains and skills as a surgeon, and not her body, so she never accepted any of the offers to pose for a magazine or some fashion line because she knew it would bite her in the ass someday.

Whoever this model intern is, Celia felt pity for her.

"You're Cristina, right?" asked Meredith.

Cristina nodded, "Which resident are you two assigned to? I got Bailey."

"The Nazi? Yeah, we're both assigned to her as well," Meredith sighed.

Celia grinned, "The Nazi doesn't scare me." Christina gaped at her as though she were some crazy person, and was surprised when Meredith agreed, "Yeah, believe me. Celia is a major bitch. Everyone's intimidated by her … well except me but that's only because we grew up together."

Celia shrugged, "It comes with the territory. I grew up in Beverly Hills." Cristina looked impressed, "Huh, it seems we'll get along just fine." The three interns smiled.

"You got the Nazi? So did I. At least we'll be tortured together, right? I'm George O'Malley, uh, we met at the mixer, you had a black dress with a slit up the side, strappy sandals …" the poor guy trailed off as the three women all exchanged weird looks. It was obvious this puppy with doe eyes was into Meredith.

"Now you think I'm gay," George blanched. Cristina scoffed and walked away. Celia stayed by Meredith's side, she was very amused at the moment and didn't want to miss watching the puppy embarrass himself even more than he already did. "No, I'm not gay, it's ah, it's just that, you know, you were, I mean, you were very, unforgettable."

"Nice dude," Celia laughed. Meredith nudged her side and hissed, " _Be nice_."

"O'Malley, Yang, Grey, Stevens, Chávez," the three of them turned around to face the doctor that had called out their names. "Your resident is at the end of the hall."

Celia, Meredith and Cristina froze when they laid eyes for the first time upon the infamous Nazi.

"That's the Nazi?" asked a bewildered Cristina. The Nazi was short, like seriously short. She was African-American, had black bobbed hair and was a bit overweight. She didn't look threatening in the least bit, but Celia and Meredith knew better; Celia had an angelic and sweet face, and everyone thought she was cute and cuddly with a bright and bubbly personality at first sight … that was until she transfixed her cold glare on you and opened her mouth, and they all run away at the opposite direction with their tails tucked between their legs.

"I thought the Nazi would be a guy," George gaped.

"Why? Cause a woman can't be tough?" Celia raised an eyebrow at George, who quailed under her look, and hid behind a pretty blonde intern who cheerfully spoke up, "Maybe it's professional jealousy. Maybe she's brilliant, and they call her Nazi because they're jealous. Maybe she's nice."

Cristina stared at the blonde intern with skeptical eyes, "Let me guess. You're the model." Celia snorted, and the blonde intern gave the two of them a dirty look before turning to Dr. Bailey with a smile, extending a hand, "Hi, I'm Isabel Stevens, but everyone calls me Izzie."

She did not just do that! The poor girl will be gutted like a fish in the program … she probably won't make it to the end.

Bailey stared her up and down with an impassive look before looking away, not deeming her with a response. Izzie awkwardly took her hand away as Dr. Bailey opened her mouth, "I have five rules. Memorize them. Rule number one, don't bother sucking up to me, I already hate you, that's not gonna change," she pointed at a bunch of items on a bench, "Trauma protocol, phone lists, pagers. Nurses will page you, you answer every page at a run. A run, that's rule number two. Your first shift starts now and lasts forty-eight hours. You're interns, grunts, nobodies, bottom of the surgical food chain, you run labs, write orders, work every second night till you drop and don't complain!"

They walked down the hallway and Bailey opened a door, inside was a room with a couple of bunk beds, "On call rooms. Attendings hog them, sleep when you can, where you can, which brings me to rule number three, If I'm sleeping, don't wake me, unless your patient is actually dying," here she set the five interns with a threatening glare, "Rule number four, the dying patient better not be dead when I get there, not only would you have killed someone, you would have also woke me for no good reason, we clear?"

Ooh, Celia liked her. Tough as nails, just like her.

Meredith raised her hand, and only once Bailey gave her permission to speak, she said, "You said five rules. That was only four." At that moment, Bailey's pager beeped. Looking up from her pager, Bailey said, "Rule number five. When I move, you move." They ran down the corridor after Bailey, who ran really fast for a short, overweight woman … respect.

"Get out of my way!" Bailey growled, shoving the few doctors that stood in their path. Upon reaching the roof of the hospital, the interns gaped at the helicopter that just landed, and they ran a stretcher over to the patient, "What've we got?" Bailey demanded.

One of the paramedics moved forward as the other's placed a teenage girl with blonde hair onto the stretcher, "Katie Bryce, fifteen-year-old female, new onset seizures, intermittent for the past week, ID lost en route, started grand mal seizing as we descended."

Bailey nodded and hastily spoke to Blondie, "All right, get her on her side, Izzie, ten milligrams Diazepam," Celia rolled her eyes when she saw that Blondie was going to the left, it was the right. Bailey shook her head at Blondie, "No, no, the white lead is on the right, righty, whitey, smoke over fire, a large bore I.V. don't let the blood haemolyse, let's go!"

Finally, Izzie succeeded as she injected Katie and the girl instantly stopped seizing. Celia's attention was focused on what looked to be an attending, approach them. He was young-looking, African-American as well, though darker than Bailey and was freakishly tall and thin.

"So I heard we got a wet fish on dry land," he chuckled. He had a kind, soft and jovial voice.

"Absolutely Dr. Burke," said Miranda. Huh, so that's Preston Burke, well-known cardiothoracic surgeon.

"Dr. Bailey, I'm gonna shotgun her," said Burke. Bailey nodded, "That means every test in the book. CT, CBC, Chem. Seven, tux screen." She looked up at Cristina, "Cristina you're on labs, George, patient workups, Meredith and Celia get Katie for a CT, you two are now responsible for her, don't screw up."

Celia and Meredith grinned and nodded obediently. They took Katie's gurney and Celia didn't even look back to hear Bailey's response when Blondie questioned what she was supposed to do.

"You're lost," Katie stated as the two interns stood in the elevator searching for the correct direction to the CT scan. "We're not lost," Meredith abruptly changed the subject, "How are you feeling?"

Katie scoffed and said rudely, "I'm missing my pageant. How do you _think_ I'm feeling?" Celia rolled her eyes and wheeled Katie out of the elevator and around the corner.

Celia may be a bitch and has a cold exterior, but when it came to patients, she learned that bedside manner was extremely important, and you had to be extra kind with your patients, but not overly friendly so that you wouldn't get attached, "Okay Katie. You're missing your pageant. Tell us about it." Meredith groaned inwardly, she really wished at this moment that her friend was impassive with Katie.

"The Spokane Teen Miss? I was in the top ten after the first two rounds. This is _my year_. I could've won," she looked at her surroundings and snapped, "Hello? You're so lost. What are you, like, _new_?"

Keep it together Celia, don't snap at the teenage girl; she's cranky and sick, she's just acting out. Celia had this thing where she does a mantra in her head so that she would not snap at everybody that annoyed her, and most times it worked. Thank god it did now. Katie was their responsibility and she didn't think Bailey would appreciate her frightening their patient.

Finally they were close to the CT room, and Katie was still blabbering on and on about her stupid pageant that she and Meredith had to pretend to be interested in, "I twisted my ankle. I do rhythmic gymnastics, which is like, really cool. Nobody else does it. And I tripped over my ribbon, and I didn't get stuck with someone this clueless. And that was like, a nurse."

Don't kill the patient … Don't kill the patient … Don't kill the patient … Don't kill the patient … Don't kill the patient …

"I was going to kill her," Celia growled. Meredith and her had just dumped Katie back into her room and they were making their way over to the cafeteria. Meredith bobbed her head in relief – relief to be away from Katie, of course, "I know, me too. Bailey and Burke would _not_ appreciate us killing the patient."

"We should receive an award for our self-control," Celia said grumpily. They collected a tray and filled in with food, and went over to Cristina who was sitting with Blondie and Puppy. They slammed their tray on the table and sat beside each other, opposite to Cristina.

"Katie Bryce is a pain in the ass," Meredith spoke up. Celia nodded, "If I hadn't taken the Hippocratic Oath, I'd Kevorkian her with my bare hands." The three interns alternated their stares from Meredith to Celia.

"What?" asked Meredith in confusion. Celia nudged Meredith to look up as Dr. Burke came over to their table with a jovial smile on his face, "Good afternoon interns. It's posted, but I thought I'd share the good news personally. As you know, the honor of performing the first surgery is reserved for the intern that shows the most promise. As I'm running the OR today, I get to make that choice," he clapped George on the back, much to the four interns surprise – even Blondie gaped in shock, "George O'Malley. You'll scrub in for an appendectomy this afternoon. Congratulations."

"Me?" George gazed at Dr. Burke with wide eyes. Good Lord, even Puppy was shocked at being picked – the patient was so not going to make it. Dr. Burke smiled, "Enjoy!" Once he left, no one was able to speak, their eyes were all focused on a nearly hyperventilating George. "Did he say me?"

"You're screwed dude," Celia snorted. That caused Cristina to laugh rudely and Blondie to glare, _again._ Meredith just shook her head in amusement.

"You know Celia, you don't have to be rude," Izzie snapped. Cristina and Celia shared an eye roll. Celia fixed her famous glare at Blondie, and inwardly smiled when she quailed, "Listen up, Blondie. There's a big difference between being rude and being honest. Now, what I have learned in life, is sometimes being honest can come out as being mean, but hey," Celia shrugged nonchalantly, "Life's a bitch. Puppy over there is shocked at being picked. Now, if he were more confident at Burke's choice then I wouldn't have said anything. But he already thinks he's going to screw up. I was just being honest and stating the obvious. If you don't like it, then you're in the wrong career, because being a surgeon is tough, it's tiring, it's stressful and it _could_ break you. You have to have confidence in yourself, because it's not just your job at the line, but a patient's life."

There was silence once again in their table. Everyone but Meredith were shocked at her outburst and the words she said. Christina was the first to break the silence, "You were right, Meredith. I can see why the Nazi wouldn't scare Celia."

Unknown to the five interns, Dr. Miranda Bailey heard the whole conversation take place, and her dark brown eyes were fixed on the Latina intern; she was certainly interesting and this was the first time Bailey found herself to be impressed with an intern on their first day … Dr. Bailey decided to keep a close watch on Celia Chávez.

Mr. and Mrs. Bryce were standing over Katie when Celia and Meredith made their way back to her room. "Katie, honey, mom and dad are here," Mrs. Bryce said worriedly.

"They gave her a sedative for the CT scan, so she's a little groggy, it's normal," Celia smiled reassuringly.

"Will she be alright?" asked Mrs. Bryce. Mr. Bryce stared at the two interns, "Our doctor at home said she might need an operation, is that true?"

Meredith glanced at Celia unsurely. "She's um, well, you know what, we're not, we're not the doctors, uh, we are doctors, but _not_ Katie's doctor-" Celia interrupted Meredith's nervous stuttering slash rambling; smiling confidently at Mr. and Mrs. Bryce, she said, "Dr. Grey and I will go find Katie's doctor. Excuse us." Once they were out of earshot, Celia pulled Meredith aside, "Mer, breathe. Why are you so nervous all of a sudden? Just breathe and relax."

"Right, relax. Got it," Meredith breathed out. She noticed Bailey by the nurses and dragged Celia over to her. "What?" demanded Bailey without looking up from her charts. "Katie's parents have questions. Do you talk to them, or do I ask Burke?" asked Meredith, and this time, there was no stuttering – _Thank god_.

Taking her eyes off the charts, Bailey studied Meredith and then Celia before saying, "No, Burke's off the case, Katie belongs to the new attending now, Dr. Shepherd, he's over there," she pointed her index finger to the opposite direction far from them.

Celia and Meredith went closer to where Bailey pointed out since they couldn't see him. How the hell short Dr. Bailey noticed him when they didn't astounded her. They saw him talking to another doctor, and Celia stilled in her steps, her eyes widening on Dr. Shepherd, "Fuck me."

"Celia? CeCe? What's wrong, why did you stop?" Meredith stared at her friend in confusion, her eyes flickering from Celia to Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Shepherd tilted his head upward and his blue eyes connected with the familiar chocolate brown ones of the frozen intern – the tough and confident girl he had slept with; he did a double take and then went to walk up to her when Celia harshly tugged her arms from Meredith's hold and ran off towards the opposite direction without stopping or looking back.

Celia could NOT, _could not_ believe that the one-night stand, the random guy from the bar was her attending, he was her _boss_. He was her _boss' boss_. ... Oh this was not good, this was not good at all. She was going to _kill_ Meredith.

A hand grabbed her arm and before any coherent thoughts could pass through her immobile brain she found herself in an empty stairwell with none other than Dr. Shepherd in front of her looking as sexy as ever – at least she had a name for his face instead of calling him Adonis.

"Excuse me, Dr. Shepherd. Did you need something?" Celia asked in a strictly professional tone; she was just going to act like nothing ever happened. He was her boss, AND her boss' boss, this cannot happen. She wasn't one of those bimbo interns that slept her way to the top. No siree, that was NOT going to happen.

"Dr. Shepherd? Come on, call me Derek. I think after last night we should be on a first name basis," Derek smiled charmingly. Damnit! Even his name is sexy, and not only is he sexy as hell, but he's an effing surgeon, an ATTENDING surgeon.

" _Dr. Shepherd_ , like I told you this morning, we should pretend it never happened," Celia continued professionally. "What never happened, you sleeping with me last night? Or you throwing me out this morning? Rather harshly I may say. Because both are fond memories I'd like to hold onto," said Derek cheekily.

Celia cocked both eyebrows; seriously, he wasn't affected at all with her cold and brisk attitude? "Fond memories? So me being a total bitch to you is a fond memory?"

Derek grinned, "First time a girl didn't fall on her knees at the sight of me … it was a … it was a surprising change." Celia scoffed; figures he was arrogant … well, he is a surgeon, all surgeons should have an arrogant streak, it's in their DNA. "Look Dr. Shepherd, you may hold onto those, uh, _fond_ memories. I however, am currently suffering from amnesia, very tragic. So I do apologize, but I don't remember what you are talking about."

"You took advantage of me and now you want to forget about it," said Derek, his damn smile still plastered on his face. "Well, you weren't complaining," Celia argued with an eye roll. Derek nodded, "True, true. You took advantage of me though. Last night I was very good-looking. I had my red shirt on, my good-looking red shirt, you took advantage."

"Hmm, okay. I took advantage, whatever you say Dr. Shepherd. If I happen to remember, I'll let you know," said Celia impassively; he was charming and funny too – damn he had all the good qualities wrapped up in a package of sexiness.

"Or, I could jog your memory. Say Friday night?" Derek threw that out causally, like it was normal for an attending to ask his intern out on her _first day_. "I'm sorry, Dr. Shepherd, but our relationship should be strictly professional, and if we don't even have a professional relationship, it is okay with me. You're an attending, and I'm your intern, THAT is the only relationship status we are _ever_ going to have," Celia spoke in an icy tone.

Derek sighed, leaning against the wall as he stared at the intern's retreating back. He wanted her; there was something about her that called out to him, and even though she was frigid, reserved, cold and impassive, she was … different. Derek Shepherd wasn't going to give up on the mysterious girl from the bar, ever … and the first thing he was going to do, was find out her name.

"Hey? What was with the disappearing act earlier?" Meredith asked Celia. They were currently on their way to watch George assist in his first surgery with Dr. Burke. Pulling Meredith aside, Celia checked for any eavesdroppers, "Dr. Shepherd, _Dr. Derek Shepherd_ , the freaking attending. HE is the guy from the bar. The one-night stand, the guy I kicked out this morning is our attending."

Meredith gaped at her friend, she was torn between horrified and amusement. "Okay, and I'm guessing you had a little chat?" Celia nodded. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples, "He doesn't want to forget what happened, he was _very_ insistent. He asked me out for Friday, turned him down, obviously," Celia muttered. Meredith nodded, "Okay, uh, good. Let's just forget all about him and watch George, okay?" Celia smiled and the two best friends looped their arms and joined the other interns.

The interns all began betting on the results; "He's going to faint. He's a fainter.", "Naah, code brown, right in his pants.", "He's all about the flops, he's going to sweat himself unsterile.", "Ten bucks says he messes up the McBird." Christina scoffed, "Twenty says he cries."

"Fifty says he pulls the whole thing off," Meredith spoke up, causing everyone to shut up and gape at her in shock. Meredith turned to glare at every one of them, "That's one of us down there. The _first_ one of us. Where's your loyalty?"

No one said a word for a while; Celia was the first one to break it, "Seventy-five says he can't even ID the appendix." Cristina laughed and high-fived her, and surprisingly, Izzie spoke up, "I'll take that action." Everyone else agreed and Meredith glared at Celia who flashed her an innocent smile.

Dr. Burke's voice sounded out through the intercom, "Okay, O'Malley, let's see what you can do."

"Scalpel," said George nervously, holding his hand out. "Scalpel," the nurse repeated, handing over the scalpel which in turn had all the interns cheering and clapping loudly. Burke's eyes glared at them from the OR Room, motioning them to shut up with one finger, effectively silencing them.

"Buzz-kill," murmured Celia; all the interns laughed. They watched as George readied his hand to cut. "More pressure. Human flesh is a tough shell, dig in," Burke informed him. The interns watched as George asked for pick-ups, then a clamp, and it was going good – huh, it looked like Puppy was going to succeed.

"Damn, he got the peritoneum, and he opened him up," an intern muttered. Meredith looked smug, "I told you, he's going to pull it off."

"I doubt it Mer. He still has a chance of messing up," said Celia matter-of-factly.

"Appendix is out," said George cheerfully, tossing it into a tray and all the interns began cheering again. "Not bad," Burke began instructing George on what to do next, "Now all you have to do is invert the stump into the cecum and simultaneously pull up on the purse-strings, but be careful not to," there was a ripping sound, "break them," Burke sighed, and all the interns groaned. Burke stared at all the observers, "He broke the cecum. Got a bleeder. You're filling with stool, what do you do now?"

"Uh… Uh…" George was anxious, sweat pouring from his forehead as he fumbled around. Burke was getting impatient. " _Think_. You start the suction, and you start digging for those purse-strings _before_ she bleeds to death. Belky, give him a clamp." A nurse spoke up, "BP's dropping."

"He's choking," Cristina stated. "Come on, George," muttered Meredith. Burke's voice boomed through the intercom, and he sounded frustrated, a big change from his usual joviality, " _Today_. Pull your balls out of your back pocket, let's go. What are you waiting for, suction?" George had stilled and the heart monitor began beeping. "Getting too low folks … Dr. Burke …" said a frantic nurse.

Burke pushed George away from his patient, "Get out of the way. Pansy-ass idiot. Get him out of here. Suction. Clamp."

The interns watched as George ran out of the OR. "Told you he would fail," sang Celia. An intern called George 007, and it stuck with the rest of the interns. Poor puppy, he earned a new nickname among the interns, and it wasn't a flattering one.

"You'll never believe what happened," Meredith was seething. Celia looked concerned, "Woah, calm down Death, what's wrong?" Meredith was pacing around like a guard dog, "You want to know what's wrong? Katie Bryce is what's wrong. She paged me a 911, and guess what was wrong with her? S _he was bored_!"

"Okay, calm down. Next time Katie calls, I'll go to her. Now chillax," said Celia soothingly.

Celia was on her second cup of coffee when her pager rang a 911 for Katie. She dumped her coffee and ran; Katie better not be bored or she'll carry on with her previous threats and strangle her, screw the Oath. When she entered Katie's room however, she saw that the nurses were bustling around and some were even running into her room frantically.

"Okay, okay what do we have here?" Celia went into stern, professional mode in an instant as she went to stand by Katie's side.

"She's having multiple grand mal seizures, now how do you want to proceed? Dr. Chávez?" a nurse called out. Celia swallowed, she could do this. She studied hard for a situation like this. "Right okay. Give her 2mg Diazepam." The nurses began injecting Katie, but she still kept on seizing. Celia had her hand out, "Okay, okay. Diazepam's not working. Give me 4mg Prazepam and someone call Dr. Bailey and Dr. Shepherd, pronto!"

A nurse handed her the Prazepam. A minute later, Celia cussed, "It's not working. Load her with Phenobarbital," she spoke in rapid tones. Turning to another nurse she asked, "Did you call Bailey and Shepherd?" The nurse nodded. "Call them again! Stat!"

"Pheno's in …no change … Dr. Chávez, tell us what you want to do?" Katie's heart monitor stopped and there was a beeping sound. "Code blue, code blue! Code blue, code blue!" the nurses began yelling.

"Shit! Alright, charge pulse to two hundred!" Celia yelled taking the defibrillators from one nurse. "Charged. Clear!" Celia defibs, but there was still no change, "Charge to 300!" Still no change. "Charge to 360!" Celia demanded. Katie's heart stopped for 49 seconds, once it reached 60, they were supposed to admit her as dead. Not gonna happen on her watch!

"I don't care that its 60 seconds, charge again!" When the nurse didn't do anything, Celia gave her the infamous glare and she hurried over to comply, "Anything?"

"I see sinus rhythm," one nurse said. "Blood pressure's coming up," another one said. "All right, pressure's returning. Grid's coming back." Thank god. Celia was NOT going to lose a patient in her first day. And her first patient at that. At that moment, Dr. Shepherd ran into the room – too fucking late! "What the hell happened?" he demanded.

"She had a seizure and –"Derek cut her off, "A seizure?" "Yes, her heart stopped," Celia told him. Derek glared at her sternly, "You were supposed to be monitoring her, you and Dr. Grey."

"I checked on her and she –"Once again he snappishly cut her off mid-speech, "I got it just … go. Just … go." Celia shrugged and left the room; seriously, he had no right to be mad at her, she did everything by the book. Huh, hopefully now Dr. Shepherd would just be professional with her. She hoped so.

All the interns were congregated in a meeting room, waiting for … something, they didn't know, because no one tells the interns anything.

"Does anybody know why we're here?" Cristina asked just as Dr. Shepherd entered the room. Celia, who sat between Meredith and Cristina, stared impassively ahead, waiting for him to speak.

"Well good morning. I'm going to do something pretty rare for a surgeon, I'm going to ask interns for help. I've got this kid, Katie Bryce. Right now, she's a mystery. She doesn't respond to her meds. Labs are clean, scans are pure, but she's having seizures. Grand mal seizures with no visible cause. She's a ticking clock. She's going to die if I don't make a diagnosis. Which is where you come in, I can't do it alone." Derek looked around at the excited and hopeful interns, his eyes lingering on Celia before moving on, "I need your extra minds, extra eyes, I need you to play detective, I need you to find out why Katie is having seizures. I know you're tired, you're busy, you've got more work than you can possibly handle. I understand. So, I'm gonna give you an incentive. Whoever finds the answer rides with me. Katie needs surgery. You get to do what no interns get to do. Scrub in to assist on an advanced procedure. Dr. Bailey's going to hand you Katie's chart, the clock is ticking fast people. If we're going to save Katie's life, we have to do it soon."

The interns all moved over to grab a chart. Celia, Meredith and Cristina walked out of the room. "Hey, I want in on Shepherd's surgery. You two were the interns for Katie since the start. Us three work together, we find the answer, we have a chance of scrubbing in," said Cristina excitedly.

"Deal!" Celia and Meredith nodded. The three interns went to the library and began taking notes, jotting down whatever they thought could be wrong with Katie. They began throwing out all sorts of suggestions; Katie doesn't have anoxia, chronic renal failure or acidosis. There was no infection, nothing.

"It's not a tumor because her CT's clean. So Celia, Shepherd couldn't take his eyes off you, what's up with that?" Cristina asked, randomly changing the subject. Meredith glanced at Celia who shrugged and casually said, "We had sex. Thought he was some random guy at the bar, turns out, he's my boss. Which totally sucks for me."

Cristina opened her mouth, and then closed it. Deciding not to make any comment at all, which Celia greatly appreciated, instead, she said, "What about an aneurysm?" And on it went. Cristina and Meredith kept throwing out ideas while Celia mulled over everything Katie blabbered about for a clue.

Celia gasped and abruptly stood up. "Celia?" Meredith asked. "Get up! Come on!" Celia yelled at them. Celia didn't say a word while the other two obediently followed, and she only stopped once she found Derek entering the elevator. This was the first time Celia would ever say that she was glad to see him.

"Dr. Shepherd. I was thinking, Katie has no headaches, no neck pain, her CT's clean, there's no medical proof of an aneurysm –"

Derek nodded, "Right."

"But what if she has an aneurysm anyway?" Derek shook his head, "There are no indicators." Celia excitedly ploughed on. Derek couldn't help but be mesmerized with this girl; Celia Chávez, when he found out her name, he felt complete. For the first time, Derek was able to see the Latina girl in a new light; she wasn't cold or impassive at the moment, she was excited and slightly glowing with the challenge he had given them. He could practically hear her brain whirring with activity.

"Ah, but she twisted her ankle, a few weeks ago when she was practicing for the pageant. She fell. When she twisted her ankle she fell. It was no big deal, not even a bump on the head, she got right back up, iced her ankle and everything was fine, it was a fall so minor her doctor didn't even think to mention it when Dr. Grey and I were taking her history, but she did fall," said Celia with full confidence.

Derek sighed, "Well, you know the chances that a minor fall could burst an aneurysm, one in a million! Literally." Derek finally released his hand from the open button and the elevator door closed in the three interns faces. The girls sighed and went to turn, when the elevator dinged open and Derek stepped out, "Let's go."

"Where?" asked Cristina. Derek smiled at Cristina and Meredith, but when his eyes connected with Celia, they were sparkling with some emotion; "To find out if Katie's one in a million."

The results were in and the attending and three female interns were staring at Katie's new scans in awe.

"I'll be damned," Derek breathed out, his eyes studying the scan intently," he pointed at a few dark spots, "It's minor, but it's there. It's a cerebachnoid haeemorrhage. She's bleeding into her brain." They followed Derek who went to get Katie's chart, "She could've gone her whole life without it ever being a problem. One tap in the right spot and explode. Now I have to fix it. You three did great work. Love to stay and kiss your asses, but I gotta tell Katie's parents she's having surgery," he laughed.

Just as Derek was about to leave, Cristina asked him which intern he wanted to scrub in with him. "Oh, yes, right, I'm sorry I can't take all three of you. It's going to be a full house. Celia, I'll see you in the OR."

Celia gaped at him. If she were being honest with herself, she did deserve it, but the way Derek informed her, it sounded like he was picking her just because they had sex. Well, if he thought that would win her his favor he was so wrong.

"Actually Dr. Shepherd. I think you should ask Dr. Grey or Dr. Yang. Excuse me," said Celia in a briskly fashion before she went off in the other direction, not wanting to look at Derek, Meredith or Cristina.

"Well," Derek cleared his throat, confused blue eyes staring at Celia's retreating back.

"She thinks that you only picked her because you slept with her," Meredith piped up. She wasn't mad that Celia got the spot, she did after all find out the diagnosis, not her or Cristina, and even though their new Korean friend didn't want to admit it, she also knew Celia deserved it fair and square.

Derek stared at the dirty blonde girl with green eyes, and from the way she spoke up in Celia's defense, he could tell that Meredith Grey was the best friend who owned the house. "That isn't the reason. I knew her to be the one that came up with Katie's diagnostic. Tell her the spot is still hers, if she still doesn't want it, then you two pick between yourselves," and without another word, Derek went to inform Mr. and Mrs. Bryce that Katie was going back for surgery.

Meredith and Cristina found Celia pacing in an empty corridor with spare beds. When she saw them she glared and began ranting, "I don't want to get picked for surgeries because I slept with my boss. Of course it was by accident. I mean, if I _knew_ he was my boss, I wouldn't have even looked at him at the bar! It's like he thinks he can win me over by handing out surgeries, I mean, seriously!"

"Celia! Listen to me. Dr. Shepherd told us that he didn't pick you because you two had sex," Meredith interrupted. Cristina nodded her face solemn, "Look I'm going to hate myself for saying this because I really wanted in on that surgery, but _you_ deserve it. You were the one that thought of her ankle and Dr. Shepherd could tell. So go! Go do that supercool surgery."

Celia walked in on Derek shaving Katie's hair. Upon noticing her entrance, Derek grinned at her, "I promised I'd make her look cool. Apparently being a bald beauty queen is the worst thing that happened in the history of the world."

Celia stepped in, her face impassive, "Dr. Shepherd. Thank you for picking me to assist you in this surgery. I'm not the kind of girl that sleeps her way to the top, so if you're picking me to –"

Derek cut her off, his blue eyes solemnly on her, "You're Katie's doctor. And on your first day with very little training you helped save her life. You earned the right to follow her case to the finish. When you gave me the diagnosis I could see it in your face that you cracked the case. Don't let the fact that we had sex get in the way of you taking your shot."

Celia was finally out of her scrubs and ready to go home for some well-earned sleep.

"CeCe, come on let's go," Meredith called from outside where she stood with Izzie, Cristina and George. Celia laughed, accidentally bumping into someone, "Oh, sorry."

Derek smiled at her, "I think this is the first time I have seen you laugh." Celia raised an eyebrow at him, "Goodnight Dr. Shepherd," and with that, she ran outside and looped her arm with Meredith's; the five interns walked over to the parking lot, heading for home.

So, Celia made it through her first shift. Found out her one-night stand was not a stranger exactly, but her boss. Her and Meredith found a friend in Cristina, who looked to be dark and twisted just like them. Puppy and Blondie are acquaintances for now. Celia saved a patient's life in her first day and got to scrub in a kick-ass advanced surgery. It was a good first shift.

 **A/N:** **What do you think of this story? Should I continue it?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **A little info: Derek Shepherd is 35, and Celia Chávez, and by extension the other interns are 26.**

 **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 2:**

So, Meredith is looking for some people to move into the house with them. You see, Celia and Meredith aren't exactly hotshot, celebrated surgeons earning an over a billion dollar salary, unlike Elis Grey, so they can't exactly afford to live in that damn home with just the two of them paying rent.

Meredith had a wanted roommates ad posted on the noticeboard; she wants non-smoking, non-Bush-supporters with no pets; Celia was reading a lot of NOs on the poster. Did anyone ask what exactly Celia wanted? Nope, not at all – because Celia doesn't want any roommates they would spend the whole day in the hospital with, because they would basically be attached by the hip. Seriously, Celia escaped back to the house to _get_ _away_ from the hospital and its drama, patients, and their co-workers/co-interns.

Apparently Meredith was thinking the complete opposite … but then again, they're desperate for the money and they liked living in Mer's childhood home. It was either suck it up, or become homeless. Celia would vote for none of the above if it was just her, instead, she promised herself that if their new _housemates_ bother her, she'd smack them with her bat.

Now, don't get Celia wrong; she doesn't mind making friends … it just depends on who exactly the person is. Cristina was easy to get along with, and Meredith and her felt a sense of sisterhood in her; Puppy and Blondie on the other hand, they are sweet, like TOO sweet, and cuddly and annoying, and always in a freaking chipper mood, it's like they swallow happy pills every morning for breakfast, or ate gallons of chocolate before coming to work.

Celia and Meredith believed that to make friends, you need boundaries between you and the rest of the world. _Why_ , you say? Because people are messy, some has baggage that you don't want to handle; some are messed up in the head and are plain psychos. It's all about drawing lines and keeping them at bay for a while … until you find out their harmless people, that is.

Celia and Meredith currently sat interviewing some of the hospital staff that responded to the notice, and it wasn't going well at all, the people that want to live with them were nuts – one girl was in kindergarten when the Challenger exploded, really?

"Why do you put up posters for roommates if you don't want roommates?" asked Izzie. Leave it to Blondie not to comprehend their dilemma; Celia was positive that Isobel Stevens would welcome anyone into her home with open arms. Celia and Meredith: _nu-uh_.

"We do want roommates-"Celia interrupted Meredith with a pointed 'ahem'. Meredith rolled her eyes and corrected herself, "We _need_ roommates. But we're together a hundred hours a week; you want to live together too?"

Oh, right. Forgot to mention something in my pre-morning ritual rant; Isobel Stevens, AK.A. Blondie and George O'Malley, A.K.A. Puppy, want to be their new roommates. They want to live with them, and seriously! … Although Celia was comforted by the fact that they are … _relatively_ … _normal_ , damn they're annoying and perky, and like Meredith said, they are together _a hundred hours a week_!

"I need a place to live. My mom irons my scrubs. I have to get out of there," George whined desperately. Celia snorted; okay, so she understood Puppy, but still … uh, NO.

"Ooh, you're bringing bribes now?" asked Cristina, staring pointedly at the coffee in Meredith's hand saved for Bailey.

"It's not a bribe," Meredith smiled, she then looked at Izzie and George, "and I don't think it's a good idea." George and Izzie stared pleadingly at Celia, who raised both eyebrows in amusement, "Woah, don't look at me. I don't even _want_ roommates. Take it up with Mer."

"I can cook. And I'm an obsessive cleaner," said Izzie trying to entice them. "And I can put down last, first and deposit," George added.

Meredith shook her head adamantly, "No. We just want two total _strangers_ who we don't have to _talk_ to, or be _nice_ to, and it's not a bribe. It's a mocha latte."

Bailey walked over to them with a stance that screamed that she meant business – as usual. "George, you're running the code team, Meredith and Celia, take the trauma patients, Cristina, deliver the weekend labs to the patients, Izzie, you're on sutures."

"Dr. Bailey. I was hoping to assist you in the OR today, maybe do a minor procedure? I think I'm ready," Meredith smiled brightly, handing over the coffee, "Mocha latte?" Celia rolled her eyes; _rule number one, don't suck up to Bailey, she already hates them and that's not going to change_ … a mocha latte won't do Mer any favors, she merely just saved the Nazi a trip to the vendors.

"If she gets to cut, I want to cut too," Cristina cut in rapidly before Bailey could say a word. "Yeah, me too," piped up Izzie. "I wouldn't mind another shot, I mean if everybody else is …" George trailed off, his tone suggestive.

Bailey glared at the four interns, her dark brown orbs focusing on Celia expectantly, "What about you Celia? You're not going to try and pitch a say in the hopes of me actually letting you grunts assist me." They all stared at Celia who shrugged nonchalantly, repeating robotically, she said, "Rule number one, don't bother sucking up to you, you already hate us and that isn't going to change. I'm not bothering."

Meredith, Cristina, George and Izzie gaped at Celia, who stared back at them impassively. Bailey looked impressed, though she hid it well – Celia Chávez wasn't like any interns; interns were like puppies sniffing around for surgeries and trying to please the higher-ups hoping they would eventually throw them a bone.

"At least one of you memorized my damn rules," Bailey grunted. Her eyes glared at the four other interns, "You four, stop talking. Every intern wants to perform their first surgery, that's not your job. Do you know what your job is? To make your resident happy. _Do I look happy_? No. _Why_? Because four out of five of my interns are whining," Bailey barked, "You know what will make me look happy? Having the code team staffed, having the trauma patients answered, having the weekend labs delivered, and having someone down in the Pit, doing the sutures," she snatched the mocha latte from poor Mer's hand. "No one holds a scalpel until I'm so happy I'm Mary freakin' Poppins."

Celia inwardly smirked; she really liked Bailey – the whole tough act, bitch mode was something Celia understood perfectly, and she was the only one indifferent to Bailey's scolding.

"Mocha latte my ass," murmured Cristina.

"Why're y'all standing there? _Move_!" Bailey barked. The five interns all scrambled to get to their designated post. Celia and Meredith stepped over to the elevator and Celia couldn't help but inwardly groan when she saw Derek waiting for the elevator as well.

Derek smiled at Celia, "Seattle has ferry boats." Meredith kept a distance from them, ignoring Celia's glare of 'don't you dare leave me alone with him', but Mer just smiled back and minded her own business; best friend my ass. Celia nodded with a sigh, "Yes there are ferry boats," she parroted.

"I didn't know that. I've been living here six weeks, I didn't know there were ferry boats," Derek spoke conversationally, his blue-blue eyes sparkling at Celia.

"Seattle is surrounded by water on three sides," she stated; where was that damn elevator!

"Hence the ferry boats," Derek grinned. The elevator finally arrived and Celia jumped in without a second of hesitation. Derek followed suit, and Meredith made herself comfortable in the back, leaning against the elevator wall and grinning like a Cheshire Cat at her best friend; she thought that Celia needed to loosen up, and Derek was the first from the male sex in _years_ that has yet to be intimidated by Celia's hard personality, she could tell that Derek Shepherd was good for her.

Derek continued, either not caring or noticing that Celia didn't want to talk with him – at all, "Now I have to like it here. I wasn't planning on liking it here. I'm from New York. Genetically engineered to dislike everywhere, except Manhattan. I have a thing for ferry boats." Celia nodded and blandly said, "You already mentioned that, _Dr. Shepherd_."

Derek looked even more amused, "Dr. Shepherd? We're back to that again, come on, go out with me." Celia glared at him, sighing in exasperation, "I don't date. And even if I do date, I don't date my boss." Derek was surprised; she doesn't date? He wanted to know why, he wanted to know everything there is to know about her; he spared a glance at Dr. Grey and saw that she looked amused.

"I'm your boss' boss," Derek had on his charming smile; damn him and his sexiness. "Yes, you are. So this discussion is terminated," said Celia briskly. The elevator door dinged open and Celia breathed out a sigh of relief. She grabbed Meredith's arm and tugged her out, leaving behind a bemused Derek, "We'll talk later?"

Celia ignored him. She continued pulling Meredith alongside her, "Seriously Mer?" Meredith gave her an innocent look, "What? Come on, he's hot, and I think he'd be good for you."

"First of all, I don't date and you know that. Second, even if I was willing to date, my boss would not be anywhere on my list," Celia snapped. Meredith didn't know everything about Celia's past; she knew a bit, and she never pushed for more, which brought the two girls even closer since Celia didn't like sharing or speaking about her past. Meredith respected that, and Celia appreciated it, making them the best of friends, almost sisters.

A nurse walked over to the two girls, "You're the surgeons?" They both nodded. "We've got a rape victim. You better get in there."

Celia faltered, her eyes widening slightly on the room that harbored said rape victim; great, fan-fucking-tastic, just what she needed, a freaking rape victim. Meredith glanced at her friend, "CeCe? If you want off this case, I can-"

"No, I'm fine," Celia gave her friend a fake smile that Meredith wasn't buying. But Celia didn't wait for a response. She replaced her impassive mask and strode into the room with a worried Meredith behind her. "What have we got?" demanded Celia briskly.

"21-year old female found at the park, status: post-trauma, she came in with a GCS of 6, BP 80 over 60, head trauma, unequal breath sounds, right pupil is dilated, and she's ready for x-ray. You ready to roll?"

Celia stared at her friend in confusion; Meredith seemed to have frozen on the spot, staring at the girl in shock and, was that fear? Celia shook Meredith back to the present and spoke to the nurse in an icy tone, "Call it in to clear CT, let them know we're coming, load up the portable monitor, call respiratory for a ventilator, we'll get x-rays while we're down there."

"What's wrong with you Mer?" Celia asked her friend as they headed down to x-ray.

"Her shoes," was all Meredith said.

"Huh? Death, you're not speaking any sense," Celia blinked. "I have the same ones in my locker. And I normally never wear them, because they're not comfortable, but today I did, and she was wearing the same shoes," Meredith breathed out, she sounded very disturbed.

"Hey. Look coincidences happen. Seattle's a big city, I'm sure many girls bought the same shoes. Do you want off this case? I can cover for you if you want?" asked Celia. Meredith gave out a nervous laugh, staring at her friend in disbelief, "I should be asking _you_ that."

"I'm fine," said Celia coldly, abruptly ending the discussion.

Celia and Meredith stood at the back in the OR for the rape-victim – Alison, observing Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Burke cutting into her.

"She's going to spend a hell of a lot of time in recovery and rehab," sighed Derek in pity. Celia tried not to scoff; pity was the worst emotion anyone can give to a person suffering from rape – they weren't doing the girl any favors.

"If she survives," Burke rebutted. Celia was getting annoyed with Meredith who kept sparing glances at her; _keep your eyes on the surgery, Death._

"What is she, like 5'2? A hundred pounds, she's still breathing after what this guy did to her? If they catch the guy, they should castrate him," Derek spat out. Celia couldn't help but smile at Derek's words, which was thankfully covered behind the surgical mask she had donned on. "See how shit her hands are? She tried to fight back," Burke was impressed. "Tried to?" Derek scoffed, "Rape kit came back negative. She kicked his ass."

"So, we have a warrior among us," Burke announced loudly.

Celia felt pride in the woman, "Alison. Her name was Alison," she announced – Alison deserved the respect; she deserved to have everyone know her name.

Derek pierced Celia with his blue eyes, "Alison," he nodded in respect. "I think I may have found the cause of our rupture," Burke announced, pulling out a piece of flesh. He stared at it in confusion, "What is this? Does anyone know what it is?" Meredith and Celia gasped.

"Oh my god," said Meredith in awe. Burke stared at her impatiently, "What? Spit it out, Grey."

"She bit it off," said Meredith incredulously, staring gleefully at Celia, and ignoring the impatient tone in Burke's voice as well as the expectant stares from everyone in the OR. "Bit what off?" demanded Burke in confusion; everyone echoed his sentiments.

Celia's satisfied grin was hidden behind her mask, but they could all see the victorious gleam in her chocolate eyes as she said, "His penis. She bit the bastard's penis off." The whole OR gasped, all of them staring in awe and disgust at the bit of flesh in Burke's hand. Burke looked nauseated and threw it into the tray without a second's hesitation.

After the surgery, Celia spent her time by Alison's door, observing her. She was a warrior; a part of her flared with envy, and she knew it wasn't justified. Alison didn't deserve to be a victim of rape, and she fought back. If only other girls all around the world were as lucky, if only all rape-victim's had the strength and energy, and the will to fight back, if only –

Celia was interrupted from her morbid thoughts when Meredith stalked up to her with a portable cooler in her hand. Celia raised an eyebrow, waiting for the rant that she knew was boiling at the tip of Meredith's tongue, and she wasn't disappointed.

"Chain of custody rules. All medical matter and array must stay with the person who collected it, until it's placed in police custody, therefore I have custody of a penis," Meredith growled out, staring at the cooler in disgust.

Celia burst out into fits of laughter, cackling in glee, "Oh Mer, this is hilarious. You've been given the job to carry around a penis in the hospital." Meredith glared at her friend, "This isn't funny. I am so put off from sex now, urghh." Celia followed her friend to the desk where Puppy was working on, and he jumped when Meredith slammed the cooler beside him.

"What's that?" asked George, his eyes roaming over the cooler. "Don't ask, you don't want to know," Meredith warned him. "I _do_ want to know, _really_ ," George looked so much like a puppy, he was so eager to please; Celia snorted, "Curiosity killed the cat, George. Take my advice; you really _don't_ want to know."

George pouted slightly, "Come on, tell me." Meredith and Celia shared exasperated looks, and Celia grinned slightly, "Show him, Mer."

"You really want to know?" Meredith probed one last time, and at George's excited nod, she said, "It's a severed penis." George looked nauseated, his face even paled slightly, and his curiosity morphed into one of utter disgust, "Oookay. I didn't really want to know."

"Told you so," Celia sang knowingly. Just then, a bickering Cristina and Alex – the new hothead intern assigned to the Nazi, came over, and George wasted no time in informing them that Meredith was carrying around a severed penis in a cooler.

"Oh, from the rape surgery?" Cristina stared at the cooler excitedly. "She wasn't raped after all," Celia informed her, "She fought back."

"Talk about taking a bite out of crime," Cristina smirked before walking away. Celia sighed and went back to her position by Alison's door. She stood there for hours before Meredith made her way back to her, "I was watching the newborns again. A baby turned blue right before my eyes."

Celia glanced at Meredith, her face incredulous, "Blue? Are you sure? That's not good."

Meredith nodded in aggravation, "I know, but the intern wouldn't listen to me. Told me I'm not authorized to be there." Celia nodded, "She's right. You could get into major trouble. But, if you are correct with your observation and the baby did in fact turn blue, then you can't keep that information to yourself."

"He had a murmur as well," Meredith muttered worriedly. "The intern said it's a benign systolic ejection murmur and that it would go away with age."

"But you have doubts," Celia stated as she faced her friend, "Look Death, you could trust the intern and leave it be or you could trust your instincts. But if you are sure that she's wrong and you kept this information to yourself, then you will regret it if the baby dies. You should go over that daft intern's head. Go to Burke, he might listen to you."

"Or I could get fired, probably punished to spend months at the Pit," Meredith shot back. Celia agreed nonchalantly, "That is a possibility, but if the baby lives, wouldn't it be worth it."

It wasn't even minutes after Meredith left when she felt Derek's presence behind her; it was his damn aftershave. Celia hated the fact that her senses memorized when Derek was near. Her body wanted him, but her mind and her heart kept him afar at a great distance.

"Celia. I've called every hospital in the country. Sooner or later, the guy that did this is going to seek medical attention, and when he does, that penis Dr. Grey is carrying around is going to nail him," said Derek soothingly; he didn't know why Alison's case affected Celia so much; he always witnessed her being impassive and cold, except whenever she was around Meredith Grey. But then again, he digressed, most women felt a comradeship with victims of rape. The females banded together.

"Where is her family?" asked Celia, and for once her voice was normal, it didn't have that icy quality that was always present. Derek shook his head dejectedly, "She doesn't have any."

Celia turned to face him with an eyebrow raised, "No siblings either?"

"No. Both parents are dead. She just moved to Seattle three weeks ago. Welcome to the city," Celia snorted at Derek's sarcasm. Derek inched closer to her, his blue-blue eyes examining her in concern, "Celia, are you okay?"

And just like that, Celia's face and her stance turned frigid again, her chocolate brown eyes hardened and she snapped, "I'm perfectly fine, _Dr. Shepherd_. If you would excuse me, I need to have a word with Dr. Burke."

Derek sighed regrettably as Celia walked away. He stepped into the room and took a chair by Alison's bedside thinking of Celia Chávez. She was an enigma; he knew nothing about her. Meredith Grey was simple – daughter of world famous General surgeon, Ellis Grey, winner of the Harper Avery Award, and lived all her life in Seattle before college. Meredith Grey obviously became a surgeon to follow her mother's path. When he thought of Celia Chávez, he came up blank. He didn't know if her parents were doctors, or where she grew up – he knew absolutely nothing.

Derek only knew she was a Latina because of her last name, Chávez, and her caramel colored skin tone that glowed with her obvious ethnicity. He wanted to know her, he wanted to know her likes and her dislikes, what bothered her, what made her smile, and why she was so cold and impassive. Every time Derek thought he had succeeded in cracking her exterior, she would push back, and become icier than ever. Derek was at a loss; he never had any difficulties with charming women ever since he had graduated from high school, and Celia was the first to stare at him with unimpressed eyes, a huge contrast to every female that fawned all over him and fluttered their eyelashes suggestively.

He inwardly snorted at the thought of his ex- best friend, Mark Sloan, playboy and womanizer extraordinaire; he would bet his whole career, that Mark Sloan would barely make an impact on her either. Mark Sloan, the man that could sway woman that were happily married, and even had a few straight men running after him – much to Mark's dismay.

"You came," Meredith breathed out a sigh of relief. When Celia promised her that she would accompany her to talk to Burke, she thought she would ditch since she seemed too engrossed with Alison, and preferred not to leave her side until she had awoken.

"I promised Death. Here I am. And there's Burke," Celia pointed around the corner. Meredith grabbed her hand and chased after Dr. Burke, "Dr. Burke?"

Burke paused in his strides and lifted an eyebrow at the two inseparable interns, "Hmm?"

"There's a baby up in peds, I saw him have a tet spell, and I think I hear a murmur," Meredith rushed out in one breath. Burke nodded, his eyes flickering solemnly at both girls, "Did paeds call us for a consult?" Celia inwardly cringed for her friend; Dr. Burke was NOT going to like Mer's answer.

Meredith hesitated slightly and it didn't go unnoticed by Burke who had his focus solely on Meredith now, "Actually, no, they're not doing anything about it –"

"So you want me to what?" Burke snapped at her in disbelief. "If you could just go up and look at him –"Once again, Burke cut her off snappishly, "Mm-hmmm, not without a paeds consult."

"Yeah, but –"Seriously, what's up with the Burke interruptus. "I'm a busy man, Grey, and there are rules. Look, it's not like I'm the Chief of something."

"Dr. Burke, with all due respect, I trust Meredith and she is _very_ sure of her observation, otherwise she wouldn't have 'wasted' your time. Meredith went up to you, knowing that she could get herself in trouble, because she didn't want the death of a baby on her conscious. The question is, can you?" even though Celia spoke professionally, with a respectful stance, Burke identified the bite in her tone, and he raised an eyebrow at her before walking away without a word.

Meredith gaped at her friend, "I cannot believe you spoke to Burke like that … I can't believe he just let it go."

Celia shrugged, "I didn't yell, I wasn't rude and I showed him nothing but utter respect, he can't complain about me," Celia smirked, she loved loopholes, she was very cunning like that. "Anyways, Burke may be an ass, but I doubt he would ignore the situation. He's a surgeon, it's gonna eat his brain until he checks up on the baby."

"I hope you're right," Meredith sighed. "I'm sick and tired of carrying a severed penis around with me!"

They suddenly heard a car swerve. Cristina joined Celia and Meredith and the three interns rushed outside to see what the commotion was about. They gasped at the sight; a man swaggered out of his car and his clothes were soaked in blood; Celia's eyes narrowed, the blood was pooled around his crotch area.

The man collapsed and Celia glared coldly at him, leaving the man to be admitted by Meredith and Cristina. They found the rapist, and Celia wanted nothing to do with him; if she stood too close to him, she was afraid that she might pulverize him to death.

"What have we got … _Chávez_! Why aren't you out taking care of our new patient with Grey and Yang? _Well_?" Bailey demanded angrily when Celia wouldn't answer. Bailey's eyes widened when she saw security running over to her two interns, and Celia said, "Our rape victim has arrived for medical attention."

Bailey's eyes widened. She ran over to Cristina and Meredith and took a look at his missing penis. She swallowed uncomfortably but firmly shouted out, "Get him to OR 1. Meredith, you call the chief and let him know we got the rapist."

Bailey stalked over to Celia looking mad as hell, "Chávez, explain yourself! You do not leave a patient alone, no matter _who_ the patient is." Celia glared impassively at Bailey and spoke in an icy tone, "I'm sorry Dr. Bailey, but I want nothing to do with _helping_ a rapist," she seethed.

The resident and her intern didn't care that they were attracting unwanted attention; Bailey fumed; raising an eyebrow she yelled, "I don't care what your version of justice is. We made an Oath as surgeons; you swore to perform to the best of your ability. Now I don't care about your woes or your problems."

"I never break an Oath, Dr. Bailey. I know very well what the Hippocratic Oath states. Which is why I walked away, so that I can do no harm," Celia spat back.

"You are going to be present in OR 1 with Yang and Grey and you _will_ help save his life. Do I make myself clear," Bailey ground out. Celia glared at her, not bothering to respond. Bailey huffed angrily, " _Do I make myself clear, Chávez_?"

"Crystal," Celia snarled through gritted teeth, watching angrily as Bailey walked away. She saw Derek staring at her, "What are you looking at?" she snapped. She stormed off without looking back; she had a freaking surgery to get to; a surgery to save the bastards life that deserved death.

They were in OR 1, and Bailey made sure that Celia stood by her side so that she could keep an eye on her, "Why are we not attempting to reattach the severed penis?" she quizzed them.

"Teeth don't slice, they tear, you can only reattach with a clean cut. If she wanted to slice him off with a knife …" Cristina left the suggestion out there. "Besides, the digestive juices don't leave much to of the flesh to work with," added Meredith.

"Chávez, this one is for you. What do we do for the patient?" Bailey daringly tested her.

"Sew him up minus a large part of the family jewels," said Celia coldly. Her tone had some of the nurses shiver slightly, but Meredith and Bailey were immune, and Bailey ploughed on, "And his outlook?"

Sighing, Celia answered obediently, "He'll be urinating out of a bag for a very, _very_ long time."

"Not to mention, he'll never be able to have sex again," Cristina added with a smirk. "Oh, too bad," said Meredith sarcastically, achieving in getting a small smile out of Celia who drawled, "Shame."

Once the surgery was over, Celia wasted no time in hesitating and stormed out. She went to the empty corridor with the spare beds, the place where Bailey's interns used as their hangout spot, and she saw Alex, George and Izzie were already there. She sat quietly, lost in her thoughts until Meredith and Cristina made their entrance.

"So the police say that they can't send down the crack crime scene guy for hours. So I have to spend the night with a penis," Meredith groaned, resting her head in the crook of Celia's neck. Celia snapped her eyes to Alex, "Don't say it, Alex."

Alex grinned and shrugged, "Ahh, it was too easy anyway."

"Who here feels like they have no idea what they're doing?" George blurted out. Everyone but Alex and Celia raised their hands. "I mean, are we supposed to be learning something, because I don't feel like I'm learning something," George continued in a desolate tone.

"Except how not to sleep," Izzie added.

"It's like there's this wall, and the attendings and the residents are over there being surgeons, and we're over here being …"Cristina pondered the exact phrase, and Meredith was only too glad to give an example, "Suturing, code running, lab delivering penis-minders."

"I hate being an intern," Alex groaned. His eyes flickered over to Celia, "What's with you today? You're even meaner than before, something I didn't even think to be possible." He ignored Meredith, who was making a cutting motion with her hand, signaling him to shut up.

"How about you mind your own business, Karev," Celia snapped. Bailey barged in all of a sudden looking expectantly at her interns. They all scrambled up to leave. "Celia. Not you. A word," Bailey barked out. Meredith and Cristina spared her a sympathetic glance before leaving and Celia sighed to herself, turning around to face Bailey, "Yes, Dr. Bailey?"

Bailey studied Celia for a moment before saying, "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you today, and I don't care. You keep your problems and your opinions outside of work. Once you enter these halls, you're an intern, a surgeon, and you're supposed to _act_ like one. We're not God. We don't dole out justice and punishments that we think criminals deserve. We cut and we save lives, regardless _who_ our patient is. I don't want a repeat of today, and your nasty attitude. Got it?" Bailey demanded, her eyes daring Celia not to argue any further.

Celia bit back her retort and gave a diminutive nod, "Understood, Dr. Bailey," she blankly replied. Bailey nodded, picked up a bag of chips that remained behind and dismissed her.

It was later on during Celia's shift that she found herself cornered by Dr. Burke who beckoned her forward, "The baby had a birth defect. Tetralogy affirmed lower pulmonary artesis. You were right in backing Dr. Grey up." He studied Celia for a moment longer, before ploughing onwards, "I am going to tell you exactly what I told your friend Dr. Grey, verbatim. Don't ever pull a stunt like that again. You didn't go behind the parents back, that was all on Grey, but for future warning, never try to steal a patient from another service, and believe me, I will find out and make your residency year hell on earth."

"Got it Dr. Burke," Celia sighed. Seriously, this was not her day. First she gets lectured by Bailey and then Burke – fuck it! She had a bottle of tequila waiting for her after her crappy shift was over.

Celia decided to check up on Alison and was surprised to see Derek by her side. "Have you been here all night?" Derek was startled by her sudden appearance, "Mm-hmm. Yup." They sat around Alison for a while in silence. Derek alternated his gaze from Alison to Celia, "You know, I have four sisters. Very girly, tons of kids. If I was in a coma, they'd all be here. I'd want them here. Having no one. Can't imagine that."

"I can," Celia blurted out. She didn't know what it was about Derek Shepherd that made her feel at ease, enough to spill her guts out – something she didn't like. Yeah, she had her mother, and step-father; but they were in Beverly Hills, living with the celebrities and reveling in their fame and the riches Noah made from being a hotshot neurosurgeon in LA. Celia was positive that they wouldn't take the time to visit her, she'd only be putting a dent in their schedule.

Derek looked surprised; he didn't expect Celia to converse with him, or reveal anything about herself. He felt like he achieved a small victory. "What're you talking about, what about Dr. Grey? I don't know anything about your family, but I do know that Grey loves you. I can see that. She'd call her mother, and Ellis Grey would be here ordering all the surgeons around. She'd fly these cowboys in from Prague to do these amazing medical procedures," Derek chuckled.

Celia smiled sadly; Celia was the only person that knew the truth about Meredith's mother. She was the only one Meredith confided in. She nodded, "That's true. I have Mer and Ellis."

"So, you want to tell me why this patient, why Alison affects you so much?" Derek inquired. Celia huffed, her impassive mask returning much to Derek's dismay, "I knew that was going to come up. I'm sorry Dr. Shepherd, but it's –"

A beeping sound from Alison's heart monitor cut Celia off, and she immediately pounced with Derek by her side. "Her ICP's double, get OR! Put her in for a craniotomy," Derek barked out.

Celia leaned on the wall, waiting for Celia to come out from surgery. She looked relieved when Derek walked up to her, "Hey, I, uh, I had to leave her skull flap off, till the pressure in her brain goes down."

Celia stared at Derek blankly and spoke without emotion, making Derek visibly flinch, "She's not going to make it, is she?"

Derek shook his head, "She's going to be just fine."

"If she ever wakes up," Celia shot back.

Derek sighed, nodding in agreement, "If she ever wakes up … wait! Where are you goi– … Celia!" Derek chased after a furious Celia who looked like she was on a mission to kill, and his insides twisted when he found himself following her into the rapist's room.

Celia smacked the end of his bed harshly, jolting the cuffed rapist awake.

"Celia," Derek spoke warningly. But Celia ignored him completely, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glared down at the rapist, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, Dr. Bailey stopped your bleeding. The bad news is we're giving your penis to the cops, and you won't be able to hurt another girl again. Have a nice life," she snarled, storming out of the room and leaving a baffled Derek Shepherd behind.

"I can't believe you caved," Izzie crowed happily. Celia rolled her eyes muttering, "Me neither."

"I blame the babies. Toxic," said Cristina matter-of-factly.

"I'll meet you by the car Mer, I have something I need to do." Celia went over to Alison's room and smiled when she saw her to be awake and responsive, not noticing Derek watching her by the door.

"Hey Alison. I'm Celia Chávez. I just wanted to tell you that you're a warrior. You are a beacon of light to all rape-victims out there," Celia smiled gently, her voice soft, and Derek marveled at the sound of it.

"Thank you," Alison cried, giving her a watery smile.

Celia nodded, and left the room, "Goodnight Dr. Shepherd."

"Goodnight Celia." Derek yelled after her, "By the way … just so you know, I'm not giving up on you. I will get you to accept a date with me."

Celia laughed, "Good luck."

So her day had its good and it's bad. There was a rape-victim, but she fought back and they managed to catch the culprit. She got yelled at by Bailey and Burke, but she learned from her wrongs. She found herself opening up to Derek Shepherd, but she's going to try hard not to give in to his charm. And as she walked over to Meredith's car with George and Izzie waiting for her, she accepted the fact that they had gained two annoying and cheerful roommates.

Celia sat in her room with a bunch of scans and medical reports in her hand thinking over the Hippocratic Oath she had ignored that day; ' _I swear to fulfill to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as mine with those who are to follow.'_

Celia carefully packed the papers back into the box and hid it in it's rightful place at the back of her closet, away from prying eyes … she wouldn't forget that Oath again, she wouldn't let the past interfere with her goal in becoming the best surgeon she could be.

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter? I decided to post this chapter up for my faithful readers instead of waiting. I hope you enjoyed it. :)**

 **R &R.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Hello my readers, I just wanted to put in a little note before you read this chapter; I know that you noticed in the past two chapters that I was switching around some of the events that happened to Meredith, and instead made them occur with Celia … Celia & Meredith are the main characters, but Celia is more important. I won't be following canon completely; there will be some switches, and some completely new events and characters. An example: In cannon, Meredith and Derek shared a kiss in the elevator. But in my story, Celia didn't allow Derek to come anywhere close to kissing her.**

 **Anyways enough with my blathering, I'm sure you want to get on with the chapter. This note was just reassuring you that I won't have everything occur like canon, and also, Meredith will be playing a big part and showing her dark & twisty nature later on. **

**Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 3:**

Interns; they live their lives on the surgical unit. They're not supposed to be appreciated, but taken advantage of, because _hey_ that's what interns were made for … or at least, that's Celia's opinion about the matter. Like Dr. Bailey informed them on their first day: interns are grunts, nobodies and basically, the bottom of the surgical food chain and that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Celia couldn't wait until she becomes a resident, and then the cycle would change, and she would be able to boss around a couple nobodies. Surgeons, they're hardcore, arrogant and practically, one should have an A+ in being a Bitch, because if you're not, then the death of your patients is on you.

Seven days a week, fourteen hours a day … that's how long each interns' shift lasts … that's the amount of hours Celia put in Seattle Grace. Seven days a week, fourteen hours a day of being meshed with her co-interns, Isobel Stevens and George O'Malley. But that changed the other day when Meredith accepted them as their roommates.

"George's room is bigger than mine," Celia groaned into her pillow. Doesn't Blondie have a muzzle? Looking at her bedside table, her eyes narrowed when 4:37 AM blinked back at her from the alarm clock. She was going to kill Blondie … how the frick was she able to be up this early! They still had an hour of sleep before they had to leave for rounds.

Feeling and indented pressure on her bed, followed by a body sliding in next to her in a huff, Celia turned around to see an annoyed and bleary-eyed Meredith. Unfortunately, Izzie followed her into Celia's room, "I have more clothes, I should have the bigger room," she continued, oblivious to the fact that Celia and Meredith were giving her the stink-eye.

"I got here first!" George yelled from the other room.

"It's Meredith's house, she should decide," Izzie argued back, not taking her eyes off said owner of the house.

George now joined Izzie in Celia's room, exclaiming in disbelief, "My room is like, two inches bigger than yours!"

"Don't look at me like that Mer! You're the one that said yes!" Celia hissed, ignoring Meredith's pleading eyes.

"Everywhere else is filled with Meredith's mom's boxes," Izzie shouted back. The two were in a world of their own and even though they stood beside each other, they continued talking in loud tones.

"Meredith?" George turned to face Meredith, "When is your mom coming back to town anyway? Because maybe we can put her boxes in storage."

"Or unpack a few things, make this place a little more homey. Maybe some throw pillows, and lamps, a few paintings," Izzie blathered on excitedly, her eyes studying every detail of Celia's room. George nodded enthusiastically, "Oh, paintings would be nice."

"Yeah! You have all these amazing stuff just packed away. In the back hall, I found this box with like a hundred tapes of your mother performing these amazing medical procedures," Izzie breathed out in awe.

Meredith groaned into the pillow. Celia threw her blanket off her body. She had had ENOUGH! Celia jumped off the bed and glared at the two nuisances, "Okay, that's it. Can't you see that we are _trying to sleep_ ," Celia hissed venomously, her eyes flashing dangerously and one hand pointing at the door, "Out! OUT!" George and Izzie jumped in their spot, their fearful eyes widening at Celia, "I SAID _GET OUT_!"

They scrambled out the room, and Celia slammed the door shut behind her. Slumping against the door, she moaned loudly when George's voice sounded from the other side, "Do you guys want privacy?"

Celia's rule; don't make friends with the enemy … basically, Puppy and Blondie.

"Do they NOT understand the concept of sleep? Or how about, don't touch stuff that don't belong to them," Celia ranted at Meredith as they got dressed for work. "Seriously Death, kick them out!"

"We need the rent money CeCe," Meredith said reluctantly.

Seven days a week, fourteen hours a day … and now, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day … that's the amount of time Celia was getting tortured from being in the presence of her co-interns … _pure torture_.

"What's got you so excited? That's the first time I see a positive emotion out of you. You look almost human," Alex smirked, though his confused eyes studied Celia.

Celia's grin grew wider in response.

The six interns were following Bailey around the hospital, waiting for her to send them off somewhere. "Fools on bikes killing themselves. Natural selection is what it is," Bailey grunted marching with angry strides with a purpose.

Alex whispered quietly in George's ear, "So what's up with the Nazi, is she off her meds?"

George stared bewilderly at Alex, "You never heard of the race?"

It seemed that their destination was to find the Chief, who currently stood with Derek and Burke, admiring the OR Board. "Chief! Dead baby bike race started twenty minutes ago," Bailey reminded him.

Richard Webber, the Chief of surgeon perked up in remembrance and announced, "All right, people! Dead baby bike race day!"

"Dead baby bike race!" Celia parroted happily, her grin nearly splitting her face in two. Alex, George, Cristina and Izzie stared at Celia warily; they weren't used to a happy Celia, so they did not know what to expect from her. Meredith shrugged, "It's one of Celia's favorite events."

"Yup. Enjoy happy Celia, because you won't be seeing her again," Celia smirked.

"Every year the Dead Baby Bar holds this underground bike race," Meredith explained, only to be interrupted by a scandalized Izzie, "Don't you wonder why someone would name a bar something so disgusting?"

"Woah! Don't insult Dead baby bike race, Nancy Drew," Celia stared at Izzie in horror. Cristina, Alex and Meredith laughed, while George was stumped and Izzie looked a tad bit insulted. "Anyways," Celia continued excitedly, "The race is completely illegal and crazy. A bunch of bike messengers racing against traffic trying to beat each other for free shots of tequila." _Ah, what she would do for tequila._

"All-out, no holds barred competition, sounds like fun," Alex stated. Celia looped arms with Alex; that action had everyone but Meredith gape at Celia in complete and utter shock. "You know Alex, you and I are going to get along just fine," Celia grinned. Alex shrugged and stared amusedly at a giggling Meredith.

George opened and closed his mouth, hugely resembling a fish at the moment. Snapping out of it, he cried out, "The race doesn't even have any rules! Except eye gouging – _no eye gouging_."

"Oh great, we're going to be trapped in the Pit bandaging up idiots when we could be up in the OR," Cristina grumbled. George ignored her and continued to diss the race with a passion, "What kind of people engage in a race that has, as its only rule, that you can't rip out the eyeballs of another human being?"

"Men, Georgie, men," Alex smirked, accepting the high-five that Celia initiated. Bailey rolled her eyes, interrupting her interns' babbling, "I need someone to get up to the OR floor, the Chief needs a right hand." Everyone but Celia eagerly raised their hands. "George."

George looked like Christmas had come early, and he actually … woah, the dude actually skipped away from them. Alex and Celia traded amused looks, before hiding their sniggers behind their hands.

Bailey opened the door to the Pit, and the five interns gaped at the sight before them; bloodshed, burns, carnage, groaning … the Pit was crowded with injured bikers.

"I take what I said back. Celia is right, this race is awesome," Cristina's eyes gleamed as she looked around, "It's like candy, but with blood, which is so much better."

Celia smirked and sang, "I told you so!"

They all split up and went after the patient who looked worse-off; Cristina and Izzie raced to the same patient arguing along the way; Meredith went up to a tattooed man covered in blood and nasty wounds. Celia and Alex however, clambered over to a man with nails sticking out from his side.

"I'm so taking that guy," Celia stated. Alex ran after her, "No, you'll have to beat me to him first." Upon reaching the injured biker, Alex closed the curtain in his face and said, "Heads he's mine, tails he's yours."

"Ugh, how about we just share him," Celia offered, a brow rose daring him to argue any further. Alex, bless the dude, stared at Celia in shock, "Why would you want to share him?"

"Because we'd end up fighting tooth and nail for him, and waste time for nothing. We both deal with him, we'll finish faster and move on to other cases."

Alex smirked, "Deal Chávez."

At that moment, the guy pulled the curtain over and spoke up, "Allo. Excuse me, I was wondering if you could take these out," he gestured toward the nails in his side, "and sew me up so I can go and win my race." Damn he was hot! _And_ he had a British accent!

Celia shook her head, "Dude sorry to disappoint, but we can't just _pull them out_ , we ought to … _Alex_!" Alex had just ripped the nails out … Who does that? "Alex! We should run some tests."

"It's a superficial wound. Sew him up and let him finish his race," Alex huffed. Celia glared at him, "He needs x-rays. What if he has internal bleeding? Or maybe the nails were infected, Karev!" Celia snapped.

"Look Chávez. I'm gonna get myself another case. It's up to the patient. If he wants to leave then it's his right. You can't force him to stay," Celia gaped at him … She hated the fact that Alex was right. Alex smirked knowingly and walked away.

"He's a good man," the guy smiled cheekily. "So love, you gonna stitch me up so I can finish the race?"

"You're crazy," Celia laughed. She sat by his side and took out the sewing kit to begin stiching him up.

So, yeah … She was in a good mood; Celia loved the Dead baby bike race for many reasons. First off, surgeries. Blood. And oh yeah, lots and lots of surgeries. Secondly, Celia loved crazy stunts. She found bad guys to be sexy. Alright, so she's messed up in the head … what rightful woman would pick a bad guy like Viper over someone who is perfect, and the definition of a saint. Celia was too dark and twisty; and nine times out of ten, she would pick the dangerous guy.

"Ah, you got a nice touch. And by the way, you're a rocking babe," Viper smirked flirtatiously his voice a carrying whisper.

Celia was amused, "You're flirting with me? In a hospital, while I'm stitching your guts back together?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?" Viper asked in an obvious tone.

"Seriously?" Celia laughed, "Do you actually think you have a shot here?"

Viper leaned closer, his jade eyes focusing on her lips before flickering them back to her eyes, "I like to think I have a shot anywhere."

Huffing, Celia decided it was best to change the subject, "Look, you really have to let me take you for some tests, and a CT. you could have internal bleeding."

Viper shook his head vehemently and leaned back on the bed, "No thank you love, I've got a race to get back to," he said proudly.

"Why? You can't win now," Celia lifted an eyebrow, waiting for the smart-ass reply Viper was sure to give her.

"Doesn't mean I can't cross that finish line," he gestured with his hands. Viper then smirked suggestively and said, "There's a party at the finish line. Do you want to meet me there?"

"While I never say no to tequila, I'll pass," Celia shot back with a grin. "Look, I'll have you out in an hour, just one test. A C," she wheedled.

"Can't do it. Gotta go."

Nodding in defeat, Celia sighed, "Okay, well, you realize that you're leaving _against_ medical advice and I _strongly_ urge you to stay." Viper was amused, tilting his head towards the direction Alex disappeared to, he said, "The frat guy said I could go."

Celia rolled her eyes. Seriously, he's going to take Alex's word for it? He just wanted a chance to escape and scope around for cooler and bloodier surgeries, "The frat guy is an ass. _Fine_. Here," Celia took out a form, "You'll have to sign an AMA form."

Viper puckered his lips slightly and threw her a wink as he grabbed the pen, "Darlin', I will do _anything_ you want me to." He chuckled as he signed the papers.

"Nice innuendo," Celia smirked, rolling her eyes and taking the form from him.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just testosterone, eh?" the worlds rolled out from Viper's tongue in such a sexy way.

"You might want to see a doctor about that, too," Celia suggested innocently, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

Viper barked out a genuine laugh and stood to leave. Celia began tidying up after him as Viper reached out for the door, and the next thing Celia knew, her body was twirled around in a fast motion and held by strong arms, her chest pressed tightly against a lean and ripped body. Viper captured Celia's plump lips with his and kissed her; it was intoxicating and such a rush, and Celia kissed back with vigor.

It ended as soon as it started. Viper tucked a mahogany strand behind her ear and smiled, "That was for good luck." As Viper exited the room, he called back, "Don't worry darling, you'll see me again."

Celia's laugh died in her throat when she locked eyes on a furious Derek who was standing by the door with his arms crossed – oh crap, he definitely witnessed her kissing a patient. "What do you want?" Celia snapped, standing toe to toe with Derek.

"You make out with patients now?" Derek asked incredulously. Raising an eyebrow, Celia couldn't help but ask, "Are you jealous?"

"I don't get jealous," he said adamantly. That was a lie; Derek was _insanely_ jealous. He saw the whole thing; how the patient was flirting with her, and how she actually laughed back … She never laughed or smiled around him. Derek heard some of the interns talk about her; apparently Celia loved Dead baby bike race … so that was the reason for her miraculously good mood.

Derek wanted to make her smile. He wanted to be the reason for putting her in a good mood, and to make her laugh. … He could lie to Celia's face, but he could not lie to himself. When he saw the man grab her and kiss her, and when he recognized Celia wasn't fighting him and actually kissed him back, Derek saw red. He wanted her … he wanted to be the only man allowed to touch her.

"We had sex once Dr. Shepherd. It didn't mean anything," Celia parroted for the millionth time.

"Just go out with me. One date. You know I won't give up until you cave," Derek stared intensely into her chocolate brown eyes.

"No. I already told you. I don't date my boss."

Derek decided to play the sympathy card. "You know, I almost died today," when Celia raised her brows, Derek nodded, "Yeah, I came like, this close," he gestured with his thumb and forefinger. "How would you feel if I died? And you didn't get a chance to go out with me?"

"I think the question is, what would your patients do without the Neuro-God attending them," Celia negated.

"Come on," Derek begged.

Huffing, Celia poked him with her index finger, "Dr. Shepherd. It's the thrill of the chase. I've been wondering to myself, why are you so hell bent on getting me to go out with you when I clearly stated I don't date. You know you're my boss, you know it's against the rules, you know I keep saying no. It's the chase isn't it?"

Derek was lost for words, and blurted out the first thing he could think of, "Well, it's fun, isn't it?"

Celia glared incredulously at him, " _You See_. This is a game to you. But not to me. Unlike you, I still have something to prove. I can't walk around the hospital half-cocked, wasting my time screwing and flirting the hotshot attending. I want to make my own way, I need to focus, I want to succeed."

And with those parting words, Celia shoved past him and walked away.

 ****GA****

"Hide me!" George hissed from behind her. Celia looked amused, her eyes flickering from Alex to George, "What's up with you?" Celia looked at Alex for an explanation, but he merely shrugged in equal confusion.

"There's this VIP patient of the Chief, he likes me," George explained.

"Well, that's good right?" Alex said, his eyes drifting from Celia to George.

"He _likes me_ likes me," George stated pitifully. Celia burst out laughing, _oh this was so good!_

"Go for it man, get yours. I'm down with the rainbow," Alex told George neutrally with a careless shrug. Celia shook her head vigorously at Alex from behind George, indicating a stopping motion with her hands.

George stared wide-eyed at Alex who was looking at Celia in confusion. Suddenly, it was like a light bulb lit up, and Alex comprehended what Celia was gesturing at, "Oh, you're not gay?"

" _No!_ " George hissed in shock.

"Really?" Alex said, though there was a slight hint of disbelief in his tone, "Dude sorry."

A spluttering George whirled around and stared at Celia frantically, "Does – Does Meredith think I'm gay?"

 _Uuuuuuhhhh. Shit._

Celia fidgeted slightly. What to tell George? How do you give a puppy bad news?

"Hey, Alex! Wait up," Celia dashed over to Alex, leaving George alone in despair. Once she stood by Alex's side, she said, "How do you tell George over there bad news without him giving you that wounded puppy look."

Alex snorted, "I honestly thought the dude was gay. Anyways how was the guy with the nails?"

"Viper? He signed an AMA … and then he kissed me before he left," Celia added. Alex gaped at her before smirking, "Nice. Didn't know you had it in you Chávez, you know that everyone is calling you Cruella De Vil, right?"

Celia stared at Alex in amusement, "Seriously? Eh, I've been called worse. I'll be back to my normal self by tomorrow. … Everyone calls you Evil Spawn," she added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, I know." Alex and Celia took a tray each and found themselves a table in the cafeteria, "So tell me, why are you being nice to me? I mean, I'm the Evil Spawn after all."

Why was Celia being nice to Alex? Honest to god, she felt some sort of comradeship with him. They're both messed up, they both act like asses, and they're both hardcore and very rude. They both have an attitude problem.

"People like us should stick together," was all Celia said.

Alex raised an eyebrow, "People like us? And what exactly are we?"

"Misunderstood," Celia simply said with a noncommittal shrug.

Alex stared at Celia for a long while before nodding; the nod was Alex's way of agreeing with her.

It wasn't that Celia didn't like Izzie and George; they weren't bad. Her beef with them was that they were too cheerful, they were very bright, and Celia thrived in the cold and the dark. She was the evil one, the bitch … she was and always will be the misunderstood one.

Meredith was like her. They were best friends because they were two peas in a pod. They both had major issues. Cristina was dark too. The three women had so much in common they just clicked when they first met. Celia sensed the same in Alex.

Four dark interns and two bright ones … What a pair of interns they made.

 ****GA****

While Celia was kissing Viper, deflecting Derek Shepherd and befriending Alex; Meredith, Izzie and Cristina were hatching up a scheme. A dirty scheme that could bring upon Burke's ire on them, and be on the receiving end of hell from him for the rest of their intern year … maybe even residency.

The Chief's VIP patient was in need of a liver. Cristina and Izzie's John Doe patient was brain-dead. The three of them gave John Doe a blood transfusion without consulting anyone, and then had the gall to ask Dr. Burke to perform an aortic repair procedure on the brain-dead guy.

Burke refused … John Doe was a donor organ … the Chief's VIP patient needed a liver … and therein lay the problem …

What were Meredith, Cristina and Izzie to do?

Run to Celia. …Why?

Because Meredith, Cristina and Izzie needed to find a way of getting around Burke. Meredith and Cristina knew that Derek would probably do anything for Celia … even though Celia vehemently denied it.

And that was how Celia found herself instigating a conversation with Derek Shepherd for the first time since meeting him at Joe's bar.

"Dr. Shepherd. I need your advice on something," yup, Celia was currently staring at Derek's smug face. She wished that she could wipe it off, but her friends needed her help, and Celia wasn't one to back down.

"Now who's chasing who?" a smug Derek said in amusement. Celia stared blankly ahead, waiting for Derek to get over himself. "Alright, tell me. Advice on what?"

"Hypothetically, let's say you need to get around Burke. What would be your course of action … _hypothetically,_ of course," Celia added innocently, but Derek didn't buy it.

Smiling in amusement, Derek said, "You want to get around Burke? You gotta find a way to get the Chief involved. But of course, this is all _hypothetical_ ," an amused Derek stressed.

"Yeah, hypothetical. Thank you Dr. Shepherd."

"If you really want to thank me, then let me take you out for dinner," Derek tried again, only to receive no response from her as she high-tailed her way back to the three girls.

And that was how Celia got herself involved in Burke's line of fire. Poor George; he ended up being the scapegoat. George informed the Chief that they found a liver for the VIP patient, and in turn, the Chief informed Burke that he would do the aortic procedure … and when Celia says informed, obviously she meant demanded.

Alex took that as his opportunity to weasel his way into assisting Burke and the five interns watched from above as the surgery took place.

"Excellent work, sir, excellent," Alex was really sucking up to Burke.

"I seriously hate that guy," Cristina hissed venomously, her jealous eyes glaring holes into Alex's head.

"Alex is vermin. That surgery is ours," Meredith grumbled. "Remind me again why you befriended Alex, Celia?"

Rolling her eyes, Celia huffed in annoyance, "You guys are being total hypocrites. If it were the other way around, one of you would have done what Alex did in a heartbeat. And don't say you wouldn't, because that would be a lie. Even though we all get along, and unfortunately live together," yup, that was a hit towards Blondie and Puppy who stared woundingly back at her, "and some of us are friends, we're all competing against each other. You just hate Alex because he found an opportunity to get into the OR and assist in a surgery, and took it without a moment's hesitation. We're interns, to be the best you have to be cut-throat and what Alex did, was definitely cut-throat."

Meredith, Cristina, Izzie and George were rendered speechless. Of course, they knew Celia was right and they couldn't argue with her logic, but it didn't mean that they had to like it.

Celia smirked smugly at the flabbergasted looks she was on the receiving end of, "And for your information, Mer, I'm friends with Alex because he's misunderstood … like us. AND he's dark and twisty. People like us should stick together."

"So, thanks for defending me. Although I didn't need any defending," Alex bumped shoulders with Celia. Alex expected the other interns to glare at him with hateful looks and grumble swear words underneath their breaths upon passing him, but instead, he was surprised when they grudgingly congratulated him with assisting Burke.

"Eh, what you did was smart. I told you, us misunderstood people should stick together," Celia told him nonchalantly.

After a hectic day at work, Meredith blew up at Izzie and George. They unpacked Ellis Grey's boxes and sat comfortably watching her surgery tapes … without permission. Celia enjoyed watching Meredith rant at them, but the most amusing part was when Meredith yelled at George for not using a coaster.

"I told you not to let them move in," Celia smirked smugly at an unamused Meredith the next day during their shift.

"They're everywhere. All the time. Izzie's all perky, and George does this thing where he's helpful and considerate, they share food and they say things and they move things, and they breathe," Meredith ranted at Cristina and Alex.

"Basically, they're happy. Like Marry freaking Poppins reincarnated," Celia added with disgust. "They're bright. Too bright. I mean, that's not supposed to be possible."

"Kick them out," Alex shrugged.

"I can't kick them out. They just moved in. I asked them to move in," Meredith whined.

"I told you to say no," Celia repeated for the hundredth time … oh, that was probably why Meredith was glaring at her … for the hundredth time.

"So what, you're just going to repress everything into some deep dark twisted place until one day you snap and kill them?" Cristina asked skeptically.

"Yup," Meredith and Celia agreed in unison.

"This is why we're friends," Cristina casually threw out.

Alex groaned, "Ignoring the fact that you two are having roommate issues, why is the Nazi making us stay in the Pit two days in a row?"

"Leftovers," Meredith informed him.

"Yeah. Now we'll get the cyclists who were too drunk or too stupid or too scared to get themselves to a hospital yesterday," Celia drawled out uncaringly. Yup, so Celia was back to her usual bitchy self.

"Huh, I see you're back to your cheerful self," Alex pointed out sarcastically.

"She did tell you to enjoy it while it lasted," Meredith reminded him.

Waving her arms at them as they entered the elevator, Celia said, " _She_ is right here."

 ****GA****

Celia and Alex were working on the leftovers in the Pit when she noticed Viper waiting in a chair. "What's Viper doing here?" Celia asked as she made her way over to him.

"Probably crashed his bike. Again. Or maybe, he came back for a second kiss," Alex smirked.

"Not funny," Celia deadpanned. "Viper? Viper?" Celia crouched next to him in concern; he was holding his side and it was almost like he couldn't hear her. He coughed and tried to stand, but was too weak and in so much pain that he fell down instead. How the hell did he make it to the hospital in this condition?

Celia stared wide-eyed at an unconscious Viper, blood was pooling out from his mouth. Celia wasted no time in lifting his shirt and gasped at what awaited her – his stitches were ripped open, and the area had swollen to the size of a small melon, "Alex! Get a gurney, now!" she yelled without taking her eyes off Viper.

Rushing over, Alex helped Celia lift Viper carefully onto the gurney. Celia could only think of one way to stop the bleeding and wasted no time in sitting on top of him, adding pressure to his wound so that it would close. "Call up to the OR and tell them we're coming. Page Dr. Bailey."

Alex couldn't take his stunned eyes away from Viper. Celia knew that he was blaming himself for Viper's situation, but they had no time.

"Alex! Push the damn gurney! This is no time to be feeling guilty. Come on, push!" Celia frantically demanded, snapping Alex from his thoughts.

They finally arrived at the OR and found a disgruntled Bailey waiting for them, "Well this is a new one. Celia get the hell off the patient and go get cleaned up. You're scrubbing in. Alex, get back downstairs."

"Yeah, but I helped," Alex said adamantly. Celia shook her head; oh no he didn't. Bailey was going to chew his head out. Celia left to scrub in, just as Bailey's yelling began.

Thankfully, Viper survived the surgery. Even though he had signed an AMA form, she would have still felt his loss heavy on her conscious, especially Alex who was very insensible to Viper's plight the other day. Bailey and Celia headed onwards to inform Viper's biker and very punk-looking friends that he had survived, and when one of the girls asked if he was okay, Bailey lost it.

"Is he okay? No. No, he is _not_ okay, at all. He hurled his body _down a concrete mountain at full speed_ for no good reason," Bailey ranted. "Yeah, I know you all pierce yourselves and smoke up and generally treat your bodies like your grungy asses can't break down to A … you want to kill yourselves, flying down a concrete mountain, go to it, but there are other people driving, people trying to live their lives on that concrete mountain, and one of them got his brains scrambled today because one of you sniffling no-good-snot-rag –"

Okay, now usually Celia would grin inwardly and listen to the harsh tones of Bailey giving someone a piece of her mind. Her rants were always rude and entertaining, and Celia loved them … when she wasn't at the screaming end of them, of course. However, Viper's friends looked freaked out, and Celia knew that Bailey would not stop anytime soon.

"Doctor Bailey –"

Bailey fumed finally remembering herself and what they were originally there for, "Yeah, yeah so _no_ , your friend _Viper_ , as far as I'm concerned, is _not_ okay." Bailey stalked off mumbling to herself about the idiocy of the Dead Baby Bike Race.

The group of Viper's friends all stared dumbstruck at an amused Celia, "She's um, really tired, but Viper's going to make it, he's going to live," she assured them.

The group shrugged and went back over to Viper's side.

 ****GA****

"It's not the chase."

Celia was currently packing her stuff from the locker room, ready to head back home when she heard Derek's voice behind her. Whirling around, she saw Derek shut the door behind him and walk up to her with a solemn look on his face.

"What?" Celia asked staring at Derek impassively. She wasn't in the mood for another game of the tug-of-war that they have been playing ever since she found out he was an attending.

"You and me. It is not the thrill of the chase. It's not a game," Derek pierced her with his blue-blue eyes, and the next words out of his mouth froze her on the spot, "It's … it's the rare moments that you smile, and laugh. It's the fact that you're the first girl to resist me so easily. It's your hair," he smiled.

Celia finally found her voice, and repeated incredulously, " _My hair_?"

"Smells good," Derek flashed her his familiar charming smile, "And you're very, very bossy. Keeps me in line."

Celia stared impassively with an eyebrow raised as she gathered her bag and her thoughts, and slammed her locker shut, "I'm still not going out with you." Reaching the door, a small smile involuntarily tugged around the corner of her lips when Derek called after her, "You say that now."

Why did Derek Shepherd affect her so? What was it about him, what had him able to begin breaking through Celia's carefully built walls?

Celia and Meredith couldn't help but smile fondly when they saw Cristina, Izzie and George surrounded by the television, watching Ellis Grey's surgical tapes and eating popcorn, and how they all froze at their entrance.

"We were just – Cristina made us," George rushed to say in a scared tone, throwing Cristina to the dogs. Cristina looked unimpressed, her eyes staring at George in disbelief – _Coward_.

Meredith glanced at Celia who gave a diminutive nod and a shrug, and the two girls joined the three other interns on the floor in front of the television.

"So what are we watching?" Celia asked sitting beside Izzie and gathering some popcorn from the bowl she offered.

"Ooh, this is the one where my mother –"

"Literally pulls this guy's face off!" Izzie exclaimed excitedly.

So maybe making friends with the competition wouldn't be so bad after all. Celia and Meredith needed others in their life, besides themselves, others that weren't so dark and twisty, with a complicated path and many issues. George and Izzie could be good for them, to keep them level-headed and away from the darkened path.

 **A/N:** **I like Alex, and I hate that they all alienated him for a long time. So I will slowly be bringing him into the fold.**

 **Also, I am currently writing Chapter 4, so it will be out in a bit. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 4:**

Intimacy.

People have this strange sort of desire to belong somewhere and to love and be loved. People strive for that emotional connection with one another. … How do they endeavor such connection you may ask? Simple; they gather knowledge and experience in each other. They show their vulnerabilities and their struggles in life. They share their deepest and darkest secrets, their past and they build trust.

It is both desired and feared; difficult to live with and impossible to live without.

For Celia however, she put all her efforts into avoiding intimacy. She kept a wall in between the many men that attempted to woe her; she carefully concealed her fears and her desires from everyone and came out the other side with Meredith as her only confidant.

Intimacy also comes attached to life's three R's: Relatives, Romance and Roommates.

Currently, Celia sat in the kitchen sipping on her coffee, staring at her roommates in amusement; Izzie was strutting around in her underwear and T-shirt with a toothbrush halfway through her mouth. Don't get Celia wrong, she respected the fact that Izzie has enough confidence in herself and her body to sashay around in a state of underdress.

Celia just couldn't hold her tongue, "Hello kitty," she smirked at Izzie, who responded with an amused smile; her underwear had the symbol of the cat from 'Hello Kitty.' Izzie was too bright; too, too bright.

George was a completely different story, and the three girls had to suffer through an apoplectic rant on their way to the hospital. "You don't understand. _Me gonads, you ovaries._ You're parading through the bathroom in your _underwear_ when I'm _naked_ _in the_ _shower_."

Yeah, so George had different views from Celia in regards to states of undress. The guy should get used to it; he is after all living in a house with three women.

"We need tampons George. Can you add it to your list please?" Izzie asked as an afterthought.

George blanched as the four of them walked through the parking lot of Seattle Grace; his eyes were flickering over to each girl in the hopes that one of them would yell out 'Just Kidding', "What?!"

"Tampons. To the list, it's your turn," Meredith repeated in slow tones, staring at George as though he were dim.

And that was how Seattle Grace found George explode before its eyes, and adamantly yell at the three amused girls, " _I am a man_! I don't buy girl products! I don't want you walking in while I'm in the shower, and I don't want to see you in your underwear."

Is he quite positive that he isn't gay? Many men would die for the opportunity of taking his place.

"It doesn't bother me, ok? Look at me in my underwear, George. Take your time. It's no big deal," Izzie shrugged nonchalantly, dismissing George's words as though they were an irksome fly.

"Besides, George. Women like men who are secure enough in their masculinity to buy tampons. It speaks volumes of their confidence," Celia informed him casually with a wink, causing Meredith and Izzie to laugh in agreement and George to splutter after them into the hospital.

While Bailey's interns were in the locker room getting dressed and ready for pre-rounds, Bailey stomped in and started them off with a lecture, "You are the first person they see in the morning. You say please. You say thank you. You apologize for waking them up …" she drifted off with a glare at Alex's direction as he ran in late. "You make them feel good about you. Why is that important? Cause then they'll talk to you and tell you what's wrong. _Why is that important?_ Because then you can tell your attending what they need to know during rounds. And _why is that important?_ Because if you make your resident look bad, she'll torture you until you beg for your mama. Now get out there. I want pre-rounds done by 5:30 AM."

Whew, the Nazi was on a roll today. But Celia knew that Bailey's words had its merits; thinking back to her first day, and her first ever patient, Katie Bryce. If that blathering and infuriating teenage girl hadn't mentioned spraining her ankle, then they wouldn't have caught her aneurysm and she would be dead.

"I'd better get good patients today. Yesterday I had two guys with colostomies who needed dressing changes every 15 minutes," an annoyed Cristina grumbled to Celia and Meredith. "I'm gonna be in surgery. Today's my day," she continued triumphantly.

"On what?" Meredith asked curiously.

Cristina scoffed, "Like I'd tell you."

"What do you know?" Celia adamantly pushed, ignoring Cristina's bite.

"I know I was here at 4:00 and you didn't get here till 4:30," Cristina snapped. Celia rolled her eyes and gave up, leaving Meredith to grill the answer out of Cristina on her own; knowing the stubborn woman, she wouldn't let a word slip. She was too competitive and driven.

"Dr. Shepherd," Celia nodded politely, glaring daggers at the other interns' back for leaving her alone with Derek.

"I have a chordotomy at 5:00. I'll be out at 6:00. I thought I might buy your breakfast before your rounds," Derek smiled charmingly. Jeez, the guy doesn't give up, does he?

Sighing in exasperation, Celia said, "I've already eaten."

"What'd you have?" Derek asked curiously as he stared intently into blank chocolate eyes.

Celia paused in her strides to stare Derek in the face, "I am sorry, Dr. Shepherd, but your question has nothing to do with surgery, it is none of your business and quite unprofessional of you," Celia was adamant in remaining professional with Derek until he gave up and left her alone.

Derek ignored her words completely, much to Celia's annoyance, and spoke in an amused tone, "You're a cereal person? Straight out of the box? Or all fruit and fibery?" he laughed, his eyes sparkling at her, "Pancakes? Do you like pancakes?"

Thinking that if she gave him the answer he wanted he would leave her alone, Celia shortly said, "Yoghurt. I had yoghurt and fruits for breakfast. Curiosity satisfied?"

Sophie Chamberlain had grilled the importance of eating healthy food into her head ever since she was fourteen in the hopes that Celia would keep her model-like figure and become a celebrity, and very desirable to all the rich men in Beverly Hills, and even though Celia lived alone for years since she started college, old habits die hard.

"Huh, that's healthy. Didn't take you for a healthy person, even with your profession. But a good day starts with a good breakfast," Derek said, showing all his pearly white teeth. For the love of God, was there any flaw to this man? Other than incessantly bothering her for a date, that is.

"Is there anything else you need _Dr. Shepherd_? Anything professional?" Celia snapped icily.

Derek's heart sank at the frigidness to her tone, but ploughed on innocently, "I'm just an attending getting to know one of his interns."

"Huh. Should I have my co-interns expect you to grill them on what they had for breakfast then?" Celia asked, and Derek could detect a hint of amusement in her tone, something he decided to take as a victory.

"Fine. You want me to be professional?" Celia nodded instantly. Derek sighed, "I'll be professional. Nice talking to you Dr. Chávez."

"You too, Dr. Shepherd," Celia replied, turning her back on him to join the other interns with pre-rounds.

 ****GA****

Cristina opened the door to the secret patient's room that she hadn't confided in with Celia and Meredith, and flickered on the lights as she strode in with her charts. She was adamant in being the intern for this patient.

The woman in bed grumbled blearily and sat up, her eyes narrowing in on Cristina in disproval, "You always come in like that, bang the light on?"

"You're Elizabeth Fallon?" she asked, rechecking the name from her chart and not answering her snarkiness.

"What does my chart say?" Elizabeth raised her brows in a challenge. Competitive interns; she knew all about them and their underhanded tactics.

"It says you used to be a nurse here," replied Cristina firmly.

Elizabeth nodded, "A _scrub_ nurse," she corrected Cristina.

"And you have abdominal mass consistent with pancreatic cancer," Cristina couldn't hide the excitement from her tone. Elizabeth smirked knowingly at her, "Oh, and you're hoping they're gonna give me a Whipple. Pancreatic duodectomy. This hospital sees those maybe once every six months," her eyes narrowed shrewdly at a stoic Cristina, "That's why you got here at 4:30, huh?"

"4:00," Cristina corrected curtly.

"Grabbed my chart before anybody else could see it. Impress Dr. Burke with your pre-round exam so you'd be the logical intern for him to ask to scrub in." At Cristina's slightly surprised face, Elizabeth laughed and perceptively said, "I know all the tricks, doctor."

"Yang. Cristina Yang."

Elizabeth nodded, "I'll call you Cristina. You call me Nurse Fallon."

 ****GA****

Celia, Meredith, George and Alex headed over to the Trauma room as per Bailey's orders where they found Derek staring at an X-Ray screen of a man with seven nails in his head.

"Holy shit," Celia hissed to the three flabbergasted interns. All four of them couldn't tear their eyes away from the scan.

"I can't see my hands," they heard the man yell frantically, shocking the four interns to the core.

"Oh my God! He's conscious," George breathed out with wide eyes.

"Breathe deeply George. You won't pass out," Alex said rolling his eyes.

Derek ignored the interns' awe and began barking out instructions, "Use 4 mg's of morphine. Titrate up to 10. You know what? I don't want him to move," Derek added as an afterthought.

Meredith placed a soothing hand on the man's shoulder, "It's ok. We need you to be very still, Mr.?"

"Cruz, Jorge Cruz. He tripped and fell down a flight of stairs holding a nail gun," one of the doctors in the room informed her.

"Somehow he managed to miss a blood vessel. That's a minor miracle. Optic nerve's been affected. Can you feel this?" Derek asked as he hammered lightly on Jorge's right leg and right arm. Jorge shook his head frantically, "Numbness on his right side. What's our immediate concern?" Derek quizzed the interns.

Celia and Meredith replied at one, "Infection."

Derek nodded, "Right. I wanna be pulling these nails out in the next half-hour. I need a CT."

"CT's are down," the same doctor from before informed him. Derek stared at him incredulously, "What?!"

"They exchanged them out last night. Computer's crashed; have them back up by 1:00," the doctor dutifully replied.

Derek scoffed in disapproval, "So typical." He stared at the four interns, "So what are the options?"

"An MRI?" George asked unsurely. Seriously George? That was such a dumb suggestion.

Alex seemed to convey Celia's reflection as well and he snapped, "Brilliant. The man's got nails in his head. Let's put him in a giant magnet. You want films from three axis points and a C-arm surgery," Alex directed his answer to Derek, who nodded looking pleased.

"Excellent! You guys dig up research and find out if this has ever happened before. Go!" Derek ordered. "You two," he flickered his gaze over to Celia and Meredith, "Stay with him, keep him calm and look for changes."

 ****GA****

Back in Nurse Fallon's room, Cristina was presenting rounds to Dr. Burke and Chief Webber.

"Fifty-five-year-old woman with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Has had radiation therapy to reduce the tumor load. Rates her abdominal pain three out of ten. Positive nausea, but no vomiting. Diarrhea, hematochazia, melena, afrebile with T-max 37-2 and stable vital signs. Lab significant for a total ability of seven and elevated liver enzymes."

"Thank you, Dr. Yang," Burke spoke abruptly.

Elizabeth smirked at Burke and Webber, "Aggressive little witch, isn't she? She stole my chart during pre-rounds so she could scrub in on my surgery. She's hoping for a Whipple," Elizabeth scoffed, selling Cristina out as she spoke conspiratorially to the two surgeons.

Webber cleared his throat and smiled, "Well, actually Liz, I was gonna give you to Meredith Grey and Celia Chávez."

Cristina seethed inwardly at the continuous favoritism towards Meredith, but she was also confused as to why the Chief wanted Celia on the case? She wasn't a legacy … there were no well-known surgeons by the name of Chávez.

Elizabeth perked up, "Ellis's daughter? And little CeCe is here too?" She smiled fondly when she spoke of Celia, which only resulted in confusing Burke and Cristina.

"Yes, they are both interns this year. Thought you'd have something to talk about, and that you might like seeing Celia again," Webber smiled knowingly.

Elizabeth stared at Webber in amused skepticism, her tone disbelieving, "Oh, I doubt that. I was Ellis' scrub nurse for _eighteen years_ , practically lived with that woman. I didn't meet that daughter once. And I only met Celia because of you."

Ignoring his curiosity, Burke cut into their conversation, "Well, anyway, Shepherd has both Grey and Chávez on the guy with nails in his head."

Cristina whipped her neck so fast to face Burke, she could have sworn it cricked, "There's a guy with nails in his head?" she gasped, her slit eyes unusually round.

Burke risked an amused glance over to his intern, knowing very well this information would grate on her nerves, "Seven of them. Shot himself with a nail gun."

" _Nail_ nails?" Cristina pressed on in awe-struck disbelief.

"Sixteen pennies, three and a half inches long," Burke innocently added.

Cristina's brows met her hairline, "Wait, and he's still alive?"

Burke nodded, "Fully conscious. Should be a _pretty interesting_ surgery," his tone was laced with laughter. Webber cut in, "But I guess you've the Whipple." The two surgeons and ex-nurse could not deny that they were enjoying Cristina's situation tremendously.

Once Burke and Webber gave Cristina instructions and left, Elizabeth couldn't help but smugly say, "Good call doctor. Grey and Chávez got the human two-by-four, and you have the institution in need of an enema."

 ****GA****

Tumor.

The word all surgeons hate.

That was the conclusion Celia and Meredith ended up with after interrogating Jorge and his wife, Sona. Jorge had been experiencing headaches, dizziness and disorientation … the three symptoms of a tumor.

The two interns were currently watching Derek scrub in the OR before removing the nails from Jorge's skull, and informing him of their opinion.

"Vertiginous or light-headedness?" Derek spared a glance to the two girls.

"Light-headed," was Meredith's immediate response. "Sometimes he'd have to brace himself to get out of bed."

Derek shook his head in negative, "It could be a million things. Simple orthostasis," he noticed the traded looks from the girls, and rounded to face them, "What?"

"What made him fall down the stairs with a nail gun?" Meredith questioned him.

"He said he tripped," Derek shrugged. "Just because you hear hoof beats, don't assume zebras."

Celia shook her head and moved forward – it was her turn; she was just glad that Derek was actually acting professional with her since their morning talk, "Something caused him to lose consciousness and fall down the stairs. He could have a tumor."

Derek sighed in exasperation, his eyes flickering over to the two certain interns, "Look, I have no idea why this guy's still alive, let alone moving and talking. Not a clue. Let's just get him through this _before_ we start digging around for something else." He moved to pick up the phone as it rang, and whatever he was told had him adopting an incredulous expression, "23 cases?"

"One as attempted suicide," Alex added.

"Yeah, that doesn't count. Talk about procedure."

"Biggest problem were bleeding and infection but the odds improved with shorter surgery times," George piped up. "Bottom line was get them out quickly and watch for bleeding," Alex spoke up.

Derek's eyes dimmed slightly, and he sighed, "I got it. Other words, I'm on my own."

They were joined in the OR by Chief Webber who didn't want to miss witnessing such a rare surgery, "As you can see, the patient has shot himself seven nails directly into the skull without doing significant damage other than the optic nerve, and we may be able to save that. The idea is to remove the nails at exactly the angle they entered. Any wiggle, and we risk doing more damage than when they went in."

Celia and Meredith shared fearful and disbelieving looks; if Derek could successfully get all those seven nails out without a single wiggle, then he was _the_ definition of a Neuro-God … no pressure though. Celia would not want to be in his shoes at the current moment.

Tense hours later, Derek succeeded in pulling out each nail. The only question they had to wait till the next morning to get the answer of was whether Jorge's optic nerves were affected.

 ****GA****

"Are you sure you want to do this Mer? I mean, she's gonna ask about Ellis," Celia questioned her friend on their way to Nurse Fallon's room.

"I don't know. It wouldn't hurt to see her … you are," Meredith pointed out. Celia nodded, "Yeah, but I actually know her … well, I mean I have a few memories of her."

"Here goes nothing," Meredith sighed, knocking softly on the door twice and admitting themselves into the room. Elizabeth's eyes flared with recognition.

"You were my mom's scrub nurse," Meredith asked immediately, not bothering to start off with meaningless chitchat.

"Liz Fallon. Come in. You too, CeCe, my, my. You have grown into a beautiful woman," Elizabeth smiled fondly at Celia, who gave an awkward smile but it probably came out more of a grimace.

"She wanted me to send her regards," Meredith said kindly. Elizabeth chuckled humorlessly, "That doesn't sound like her."

Celia inwardly groaned; Meredith stared in confusion, "Excuse me?"

"Well, the Ellis Grey I know didn't have regards for anyone except Ellis Grey. But you know that already, don't you?" Meredith fidgeted uncomfortably and Elizabeth gave her an almost knowing look, "Where is she now?"

"Traveling," Meredith responded. Elizabeth hummed in disbelief, "Traveling?" Upon getting a nod from her, Elizabeth pressed, "Is she practicing?"

"Not so much," Meredith answered casually, but Celia knew that Fallon would crack the case – she knew Ellis Grey too much, and the Ellis Grey everyone knew, wouldn't believe it even for a second that she was on vacation. Ellis Grey didn't believe in free time.

Elizabeth nodded slowly, "Oh. Doesn't sound like her, either. She was all work, just like me. She never left the hospital. But you know that, too, don't you?" Celia and Meredith traded awkward glances. Elizabeth sighed in defeat, sensing that the two girls weren't about to cave, "Is she well?"

"She's fine," was the brusque answer from Meredith.

"Good." Elizabeth focused her attention on Celia, "What about you? I haven't seen you since you were nine. How's your mother?"

Now, Celia definitely grimaced; talking about Sophie Chamberlain, wasn't one of her favorite topics, it wasn't even rated in the top ten, or even twenty. "She's – she's her usually self," Celia shrugged, "Planning fancy parties with her beau, most probably." Celia tried keeping her impassiveness and icy tone to the minimum; Nurse Fallon was a patient after all, even though she was a constant in her childhood before Antonio Chávez passed away.

Elizabeth laughed loudly, "That women wouldn't change even if the apocalypse was on its way. Ellis Grey and Sophie Chávez, a couple of hardballs the two of them; couldn't find two mothers more alike," Elizabeth fixed her knowing eyes on the two best friends, "At least you still have each other, hmm. Don't hesitate to visit an old nurse like me if you need anything."

"We will. Anyways I just wanted to send my mother's regards," Meredith said, taking Celia's hand in hers. "Take care," Celia added as they both left the room.

Damn – Nurse Fallon was like some damn psychic if you asked Celia, and she made her very uncomfortable.

Relatives, the first R of intimacy; Celia avoided them like the plague, and much to Celia's delight, Sophie barely recalled having a daughter to checkup on … Celia wouldn't admit how much that hurt; only Meredith truly understood.

 ****GA****

"Yoghurt and fruits again?" Celia turned to face Derek and sighed with a nod. Derek laughed, "How's our patient? Is he awake?"

Derek's breath got caught in his throat at Celia's beaming smile, "Even better."

"Really? Let's go see what his nurse says," Derek entered Jorge's room with Celia, and saw that Sona and Meredith were with him. "Hi, Sona, Jorge. How are you this morning?"

"Tell them what color my dress is, Jorge," Sona beamed at her husband as she flattened her red dress.

Jorge gave his wife a fond smile, "I'd know the answer to that even if I couldn't see," he teased.

"Can you tell me what you had for breakfast on Monday?" Derek questioned Jorge, and if the matter wasn't so serious, Celia would have laughed loudly … what was with Derek's obsession with asking everyone about breakfast. Celia could have sworn there was an amused glint in Derek's eyes when he risked a glance at her.

"Cheese omelet," Jorge answered promptly. "And on Sunday. And on Saturday. And on Friday. Sona gets up every morning and makes me a cheese omelet," he kissed both of Sona's hands.

Sona grinned, "It's the only thing he likes." Jorge lifted an eyebrow in amusement, "It's the only thing you know how to cook," he rebutted, eliciting laughs from Derek, Celia and Meredith.

"Ok, well, things look good. But I need to get an MRI this morning to check for residual bleeding, Ok?" Derek informed them.

As it turned out, Jorge Cruz had a tumor; it was midline near the hypothalamus. Celia and Meredith stood obediently on each side of Derek as he sorrowfully shared the news with Jorge and Sona, "Best practice, probably to remove the tumor. 'Probably' because I can't get it all. 99%, but not all of it. Radiation and chemo, you're looking at maybe five to ten good years."

"Let's do it," Jorge agreed at once.

Derek raised an eyebrow, "You haven't heard the downside. See, the tumor is located in a part of your brain where your memory and your personality resides. And because of the fuzzy edges of this type of tumor, I have to cut out a lot," Derek focused his attention onto Jorge, "Jorge, you stand a good chance of losing your memories. Of losing who you are."

Sona was frantic, her eyes imploring into Derek's sorrowed ones, "Is there any other way?"

Shaking his head, Derek spoke up, "The alternative is gamma or cyberknife treatment with focus radiation. It's less evasive. There's little chance of memory loss of him losing himself but it would only give Jorge maybe three to five years."

 ****GA****

"So, I told Liz Fallon about mom's diagnoses," Meredith blurted out, as her and Celia went to meet Christina and Izzie by the bench outside of Seattle Grace.

Celia glanced at Meredith, but didn't speak for a while. Truth be told, Celia knew that Meredith would squeal eventually, the woman was dying and she knew Ellis for eighteen years. "What did she say?"

Meredith chuckled, a sly look appearing on her face, "Called her a bitch."

"What?" Celia laughed. "Well, it is true. Both our mothers are bitches. So who are we talking about?" Celia asked Cristina and Izzie as they sat down.

"Liz Fallon. They brought her here to die," Cristina ground out in annoyance; she spent nearly two days being Nurse Fallon's errand girl not knowing that there wasn't going to be a Whipple or even a surgery at all. Cristina was very disgruntled.

"Wouldn't you want them to do the same for you?" Izzie questioned them.

"No!" Cristina barked out angrily, staring at Izzie as though she were crazy, "I'd want the doctors to do everything they could. I'd want them to cut me open until the minute I die."

Celia nodded in agreement, bumping shoulders with Cristina, "Same with me. I'd fight to survive, and if I'm gonna die, then I'd like to go out with a bang, not sitting around aimlessly waiting for death to take me."

"Sometimes doing everything can be worse than doing nothing," Meredith pointed out as Izzie clucked her tongue disapprovingly at them.

Cristina flipped rapidly through Izzie's modeling pictures that were in the Seattle magazine in her hand, changing the morbid subject, "You are eight feet tall. Your boobs are perfect. You hair is down to there. If I were you I'd walk around naked all the time. I wouldn't have skills. I wouldn't even know how to read. I'd just be naked," Cristina switched her gaze from Izzie to Celia, "Both of you."

"God, now you sound like my mother. She groomed me to be a model and threw the biggest hissy fit when I told her I was going to Dartmouth to become a surgeon after graduation," Celia smirked, her eyes drifting down to her D-Cup breasts.

"You get that we," Cristina pointed at herself and Meredith who was bobbing her head, "hate you both, right?" she then pointed at Celia and Izzie, who both looked amused.

"Urgh," Izzie took out her pager that began ringing, "Bailey again," she left the three girls and ran into the hospital, ignoring Cristina's parting words, "You know what, any patient who spanks to his doctor's pictures forfeits his rights. You're seriously not gonna give up the prostatectomy, are you? _Izzie_?" Cristina rolled her eyes and stared at the still-amused Celia, "You know, sometimes it is painful to be around you."

Celia shrugged, "Uh, sorry?"

 ****GA****

Nurse Fallon died; she had signed a DNA: Do Not Resuscitate form. Burke practically had to drag a hysterical Cristina from continuing with CPR, and Webber had her call the time of death; 11:43.

Meredith got yelled at by Derek for the first time as an intern for sticking her nose where it didn't belong; she tried convincing Sona in not doing the surgery if it meant living with a man who lost all his memories. Sona was willing to give the love of her life ten bad years if that was what he wanted, and Meredith couldn't comprehend their decision.

But Celia understood; Meredith was taking care of a mother that barely remembered who she was. She knew that Jorge's case really affected her friend badly.

"So come on, have breakfast with me tomorrow morning," Derek stared intensely into Celia's eyes.

The second R of intimacy; Romance. A part of Celia wanted to say yes, but the other part, the one with the past experiences and her dark and twisty nature screamed no. Derek was perfect; he was bright and shiny. He could either heal her or further break her, making her 100% irreparable.

"As friends?" Celia said slyly; what the heck, Celia would give it a try … as long as it wasn't called a date.

Derek's face morphed into shock; he had honestly expected another no. Derek had on a winning smile, "As friends," he agreed.

 _It was a start after all._

The last R of intimacy; Roommates … Celia couldn't find herself running away from them. They were her rock, her shoulder to lean on. Maybe it was a good thing that Celia and Meredith had other people to fall on, other people to take care of them. It didn't always have to be the two of them against the world.

Derek sat in a restaurant, waiting for Celia who stood afar, her eyes studying the god-like attending.

 _Should she leave? Or should she give it a try, and go up to him?_

Celia wished there was a rulebook for intimacy. Some kind of guide that could tell you when you've crossed the line. And as for rules, maybe there are none.

"You made it," Derek breathed out, his eyes glowing with happiness.

Sitting down in the offered seat, Celia gave a diminutive smile, though her face remained impassive, "I said I would."

Maybe the rules of intimacy are something you have to define for yourself.

 **A/N:** **Finally Celia accepted meeting Derek out of work, although she said it wasn't a date and only as friends. Not saying that Meredith is easy, but I'm just showing that Celia is tougher, and she wouldn't make things easy for Derek.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 5:**

Being a kid; Celia's only fond memories of being a kid was before her father died.

As a kid, your biggest worry would be whether you got a bike for your birthday or the new Malibu Doll you noticed in the store the other day. You would feel excitement for getting to eat cookies for breakfast or having chocolate cake after dinner.

Celia sat in the waiting room of the nursing home, waiting for Meredith. They had called her to come in about something of the utmost importance concerning Ellis Grey, and Mer was freaking out about being late to her first time assisting in heart surgery.

Being an adult was totally overrated. Seriously, don't be fooled by all the hot shoes and great sex, or no parental supervision, meaning they couldn't boss you around. Or not even when you get to sleep anytime you want without your parents' constant nagging about your curfew.

"My mother's Alzheimer is advancing," Meredith spoke, filling in the silence of the car for the first time since they left the nursing home. "Since she's lucid enough to consent, they need her to sign over everything to me."

Celia knew Meredith like the back of her hand; one would have to after being best friends for so long. They were best friends when they were all bright and shiny being kids and having their innocence intact, and they were best friends after being dark and dreary and completely twisted in adulthood studying their way to medical school and become surgeons, and traveling around through Europe.

Giving Meredith her peace of mind, and keeping quiet, would get her to sing like a canary after she had gathered her thoughts.

"That's a good thing, Death. All this legal crap is important and you know that," Celia reasoned with her.

"I know, I know," Meredith whined adding a slight pressure to the steering wheel and keeping her eyes focused on the road ahead. "But I haven't slept for 48 hours and I'm getting my first shot at heart surgery this morning. We missed rounds, which by the way thank you for coming with me. I just wished there was somebody else to handle all this, I mean, do I _really_ have to be the one to handle all this?" Meredith rambled; she rambles when she's nervous, or frustrated, or shy … sometimes.

Adulthood is responsibility, and responsibility really does suck.

Celia gave Meredith a blank stare, "You know that you're the only one to do it. I mean, we could get my dear mother down here since they are both bitchy best friends, but the lawyers won't allow it because she's not family." Celia sighed and adopted a more serious tone, "There's Ellis' estate, and her finances, her medical care. Do you really want to leave this in somebody else's hands? You're giving someone power over your mother."

Meredith pouted as she parked the car at Seattle Grace, "I know you're right. Responsibility really, really does suck."

"Tell me about it," Celia mumbled, "Now go rush in and rock that heart surgery."

Celia closed her eyes and leaned against her locker.

Adults have to be in places and work and do many things. They have responsibilities like paying the rent; otherwise it's your ass on the streets being a homeless bum. But the worst kind of responsibility is being a surgeon. When you're holding a heart in your hands, you're holding a person's life in your hands. You're responsible for the person's life. You are responsible for your patient's future, and that is a shitload of responsibility.

Celia joined the rest of the interns in watching Meredith in her first heart surgery, she wouldn't miss Mer's moment for anything … well, unless someone is coding obviously.

"I wish I could hold a heart," George pouted … he's such a puppy, seriously.

Cristina scoffed, her eyes never leaving the OR, "A monkey could hold a heart."

"George, I need more ice and chips," Izzie said perkily, her eyes avoiding Celia making her eyes narrow in suspicion. Of course, Celia already knew about the party Izzie wanted to throw in their house for her boyfriend, who was arriving in Seattle for a visit. But something seemed off about Izzie's behavior.

George gaped at her in shock, "Who else did you invite?" They already had a boatload of ice and chips … why would they need more? The same thoughts were running through Celia's mind, and her eyes became slits.

"Izzie, we said the list was _jocks_ only," Cristina snapped her eyes still focused on the OR, "Surgery, Trauma, Plastics. Who else?"

Izzie laughed nervously, scooting away from Celia, "Just some people from Peds."

Celia gaped at her. Cristina wasn't any better; this piece of information succeeded in having her eyes flicker to Izzie, completely forgetting about the heart surgery at the moment, "You invited the preschoolers to Meredith's and by extent Celia's house. The next thing you'll say is you invited the shrinks," she snapped sarcastically.

Izzie turned away, a look of complete innocence that didn't fool anybody plastered on her face. Before Cristina could say anything, Celia growled, "You invited the quacks? The mental defects! No, I hate shrinks, I cannot stand them, uninvite them Izzie. I mean it!"

So another little fact that no one but Meredith knew … well, until now that is. Celia hated psychiatrists, and when she said hated, she actually meant detested them, despised them. She loathed the ground they walked on and found them to be a complete waste of time.

Celia always believed that shrinks, would need their own shrinks sooner or later, because come on, with the amount of crazies they get visited hours per day, they would inevitably end up even crazier than their patients. She abhorred the fact that shrinks viewed themselves as doctors … something wrong with your mind? Go see a damn neurosurgeon, maybe there's something there.

Of course, there is a reason why Celia hated shrinks, but she ain't telling anytime soon, or possible ever.

"This party is D.O.A," Cristina muttered, agreeing with Celia.

"I can't just uninvite them, Celia. It's rude," Izzie said her wide brown eyes staring pleadingly at Celia.

Celia scoffed and continued narrowing her heated glare on Izzie, "You want to know what else is rude? Inviting a bunch of people to someone's house without informing them!" she snapped. Cristina and Alex nodded in agreement.

"I have to say that I agree with Celia, Iz. Meredith thinks this is just going to be a little, small, meet-our-boyfriend cocktail thing," George, ever the voice of reason said.

"Why are you wasting the only weekend your boyfriend is in town on a big party? Is he bad in bed?" Cristina smirked, eliciting a smile out of Celia and Alex.

Izzie chuckled, waving her hand in dismissal, "No. I just wanted him to meet some of my friends."

"Right," Celia drawled off, "60 geeks in scrubs are your friends. So when did you ever hang out with the peds and the shrinks outside of work?" Izzie was silent and fidgeted slightly. Celia smirked, "Exactly my point."

 ****GA****

Meredith grabbed Celia's hand and shoved her into the elevator. Once it had closed she pushed the stop button and turned to face Celia with a freaked out look on her face.

"What the hell, Death?" Celia gaped not having expected to be shoved and ambushed in an elevator by her best friend.

"I did something. Something bad," Meredith's voice trembled, garnering Celia's full attention. Celia stared solemnly at her friend; Meredith doesn't get freaked out too easily, so it must be really, really bad. "I think maybe I did something to the heart when I was holding it. I nodded off a little and I may have accidentally … squeezed it," Meredith admitted in a small voice.

Celia cocked an eyebrow, "Squeezed it?" Meredith bobbed her head. "Mer," she sighed, "the heart's a tough muscle. It could take a squeeze or two."

Meredith rapidly shook her head and argued back, "My fingernail popped the glove. Cut straight through. CeCe, what if I punctured Mrs. Patterson's heart?"

"Okay. Oookay, Mer relax. Breathe in, breathe out," Celia supportively grabbed her shoulders and spoke in a calm voice, " _If_ you had punctured it, you would have known when they reperfused. They got her heart beating. Patterson's okay."

Meredith nodded her head, the fear leaving her eyes, "So I shouldn't tell Burke?"

"Uh, yeah, no. Of course you should tell Burke, Mer," Celia refuted, "Even if the woman is okay, it is best for him to know _incase_ anything happens. Knowing you, you would blurt it out to him at the completely wrong moment."

"I would not," Meredith pouted adamantly.

Celia chuckled, "You know you would. Don't know if you've noticed it, but you have _horrible_ timing Death. Just let Burke know. You're an intern, it's normal for us to screw up, and the earlier you tell him, the better, instead of just springing it up on him."

"I hate it when you're right," Meredith muttered as she started the elevator again.

 ****GA****

"What do you see, George?" Bailey asked.

George stared inquisitively at the X-Ray scan of Mrs. Drake and replied, "Hyper-inflated lungs, clouded with bullae, seriously diminished capacity. She must be having trouble breathing."

"Celia, course of action?" Bailey barked at Celia next.

"A bullectomy procedure, remove the bullae, reduce the pressure," she answered firmly, not wavering for a second.

Chief Webber smiled at Celia, before looking at Bailey, "Says here we operated on her back in '99, so Mrs. Drake has been through this before, but talk her through it anyway." Before he left, he added, "And resist the anti-smoking lecture, she feels bad enough already."

Celia examined the X-Ray with Bailey, muffling her laughter when George ridiculously spoke to Bailey, "So you think if they put pictures of these on a pack of cigarettes people would stop smoking?"

Bailey gave him a weird look, making George look away awkwardly and Celia to run out of the room to let go of her laughter. Just as she left, her phone began ringing again; she huffed angrily and pressed ignore for the hundredth time in two days before placing it back into her pocket.

"O'Malley, Chávez, move. What? You need me to hold your hands?" Bailey barked, ordering the two interns to check up on the patient.

The old lady tiredly took off her eyeglasses and spoke in pain, "The surgery before was supposed to help, but it … it never felt right."

"Probably would have been a good idea to quit smoking," George shrugged innocently, wincing when Celia jabbed him in his side and gave him a glare; he could have said it in a less condescending voice, besides, Chief Webber said to resist the anti-smoking lecture.

"I did!" Mrs. Drake adamantly squealed. "Four pack a day habit. Oh, it was hell," she sighed and smiled kindly at the nurse who gave her a blanket. "It didn't do any damn good!" she told the two interns.

"Really?" Celia frowned in confusion, trading bewildered looks with George. "Because when we checked your scans, from the damage, we all thought that you were probably still smoking."

Mrs. Drake negatively shook her head, "Cold turkey. Five years ago. What do I get for my trouble? I still had to quit my job at the restaurant. But even sitting, it hurt," she winced in pain.

George stared sympathetically at Mrs. Drake, "We've seen the films. It's not all in your head."

"You're right about that," Mrs. Drake smiled. Her eyes flickered over to the two interns, "You two are very young to be doctors."

Celia gave her a small smile and winked, "We're older than we look, Mrs. Drake." She didn't have it in her to be cold with the sweet old lady suffering from so much pain, and was delighted that she had elicited a small chuckle out of her as George wheeled her away to the OR.

Mrs. Drake conspiratorially asked the two interns with a smile, "Do you think this is going to work?"

"I think it's your best shot. We both do," George told her and Celia smiled in agreement, hoping to eliminate the old lady's fears.

"We call this a spaghetti procedure. We cut and deflate the bullae to facilitate gentle manipulation of Mrs. Drake's lung," Bailey explained to her two interns in the OR.

Suddenly, Webber's eyes widened and he paused in his administrations as he looked into Mrs. Drake's insides, "Dr. Bailey, do you see that?"

Bailey looked confused, "Sir?" Her eyes widened as she caught on, and she gasped out, "Oh my ever-lovin …"

"We need to open her up. I'm taking out the scope," Webber hastily ordered. Bailey looked at everyone in the OR and shouted frantically, "You heard him people. Let's move."

Celia and George watched with trepidation as Webber and Bailey set to work and finally pulled out something black from Mrs. Drake.

"Oh my God," Celia gasped in utter shock. You don't see this shit every day. No, scratch that, things like this don't just happen … _at all._ Like ever!

"Is that a towel?" George gaped, his eyes flickering from Celia, to Bailey, and then to Webber who dropped it into a pan. "Where did that come from?"

Webber grimaced, "Best guess, her surgery five years ago."

"Something careless this way comes," Bailey said grimly.

Like Celia said, responsibility sucks. Whoever was her surgeon had to now take full responsibility for having Mrs. Drake live five years of painful hell.

 ****GA****

Celia, George, Bailey and Webber were walking in the hallway still shocked about their discovery when Cristina joined them, her face morphing into shock, just like them.

"A towel?" she deadpanned.

"Not good," Webber sighed.

Celia shook her head sadly, "She complained about pressure on her chest. Said nobody took her seriously."

"Not good for the patient, not good for the hospital. Not good," Webber grumbled as he left. He looked way in over his head. Something like this could call legal on their ass. Mistakes in the OR such as forgetting a towel in a patient's insides don't just happen.

"Cristina, hit the files. Find out everything you can about that initial operation," Bailey ordered, "Who was in that room, who was responsible for closing." She then turned to George and Celia, "George, Celia, you two stay with the patient. Keep her happy. She seems to like you two."

"Right, okay, um, how long do you think … I mean, just technically. We're both off at 6:00," George stuttered. Celia face palmed, and both her and Cristina stared at George with dumbfounded looks.

"Am I invited?" Bailey snapped, her eyes glaring at her three interns.

"Excuse me?" George stared at his resident in confusion.

"Am I invited to the party?" she repeated. Both George and Cristina turned to Celia, making Bailey snap her gaze towards her. Celia shrugged, "Sure. All surgeons can come."

Bailey harrumphed and walked away. Cristina gave Celia a look.

"What was I supposed to say?" Celia deadpanned, "Besides, we said jocks, and Bailey is surgeon. Now if we can get those damn shrinks away from the house _that_ would be a huge help."

They left a grumbling Cristina on her own to check in on Mrs. Drake, not knowing how to comfort the poor woman. A freaking towel was living inside of her as though it were an organ for five years … that's not easy news to take.

"Told me I had a towel inside me," Mrs. Drake blurted out with difficulty, her eyes flickering over to the two shocked and guilty interns.

"Who told you that?" George asked kindly.

Mrs. Drake smiled slightly, "A surgeon. Uh, older man, handsome."

Celia choked a bit on her laughter, "That would be Dr. Webber, he's the Chief of surgeon in Seattle Grace," she informed Mrs. Drake kindly.

Mrs. Drake nodded, "Yeah. It was a towel that somebody left last time," Celia and George couldn't do anything but nod and wait for the waterworks, or the yelling or the threats to sue their asses. Mrs. Drake began sobbing, her voice breaking slightly, "Who would do that? That doesn't seem right, does it?"

"No ma'am, it does not," Celia told her compassionately as she patted her hand gently. George blinked at her in shock; seriously, you would think her friends/co-interns would get used to the fact that Celia wasn't a bitch or frigid with her patients by now.

"I was walking around with a towel inside of me. How could that happen?" Mrs. Drake sobbed hysterically.

Celia didn't blame her; if she had a towel inside of her, she would blow up and sue the whole hospital for giving her five years of hell. The poor woman even quit her job due to the unbearable pain; everyone thought she was crazy and that it was all in her head.

Celia left George with Mrs. Drake for a moment as her phone began ringing again. She growled under her breath and clicked ignore again.

"Are you okay?" she looked up to see Derek's worried face looming over her.

Celia hastily pocketed her phone again and nodded, "Yeah, yeah, just patient troubles, the usual," she shrugged nonchalantly.

Derek looked disbelieving, "Well, let me take you out to dinner tonight. Tell me all about it. Real food, waiters, big chunks of carbs in a basket," he joked.

Celia shook her head in negative staring neutrally at Derek, "I can't."

Derek smiled slightly, "Is this about the party?"

"You know about the party? How do you know about the party? I'm gonna kill Izzie," Celia growled rapidly.

"Thanks for not inviting me by the way," he teased, "That felt good. Dinner, think about dinner, perfect opportunity."

"Dr. Shepherd, when we had breakfast it wasn't a date. I said as friends. Nothing can happen between us. I'm sorry," and with that Celia turned and walked away from Derek who stared sadly at her retreating back.

Derek wasn't ever going to give up on Celia Chávez, and if he had to continue with the friend charade, he would. He was adamant in making that fiery yet icy brunette his girlfriend.

 ****GA****

"You were right, Celia. I have the worst timing," Meredith groaned into her knees.

"I told you so! You _never_ listen to me," Celia scolded her.

Celia and Meredith were currently sitting in a hallway with Cristina and George, after Meredith had explained that she blurted out that she popped a glove in Mrs. Patterson's heart to Dr. Burke right in front of Mr. Patterson, who in turn complained to Chief Webber and called a lawyer.

"Tomorrow morning, I could get kicked out of the program. I could, right?" Meredith whined staring at the three other interns for support.

"You're not going to get kicked out," George said instantly.

Cristina shrugged, "Patterson's just going to sue," she spoke casually as though getting sued was as normal as having lunch.

"Patterson is _not_ going to sue and you're _not_ getting kicked out," George refuted glaring at Cristina.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Cristina blew up staring at Meredith in disbelief, "Telling Burke, so stupid."

"Uh, not really," Celia scoffed at Cristina, "We're interns; we're not all-knowing. She should have told Burke right after the surgery when I told her to. Not when the patient was coding in front of her husband. Now even if Mer wasn't at fault, Mr. Patterson would still blame her for whatever went wrong."

Meredith stood to leave as her phone began ringing, "I gotta take this. Thanks. Thank you. Very comforting," she said sarcastically.

Meredith left and Izzie walked in blathering on and on about more people she had invited. Nurses, she invited nurses. Celia felt like Izzie was going to give her an aneurysm. Apparently Izzie wanted to show Hank, her boyfriend, that they weren't all workaholics with God complexes.

"We ARE workaholics with God complexes," Celia said incredulously as she and Cristina left the hallway.

"Izzie is like a perky cheerleader," Cristina groaned. While they were walking, she would stare at Celia before hastily turning away. After the third time she did it, Celia snapped, "Out with it Cristina."

"Out with what?" Cristina said innocently.

Celia turned to face her, "You're staring at me as though you really want to tell me something, but at the same you really don't. Out with it, you'll feel better."

Cristina looked thoughtfully at Celia before nodding, "You can't say a word to anyone, like _no one_! Bailey told me to keep it to myself."

"Got it. My lips are sealed," Celia promised. Jeez, it must be bad for Cristina to look worried, she had barely seen the girl worried.

"It was Burke," she blurted out, "Burke was the one that left the towel in Mrs. Drake."

Celia gaped at Cristina, her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged in disbelief. If Cristina wasn't completely serious and slightly terrified, Celia would have called her a liar.

"Holy shit." That was all Celia managed to say.

 ****GA****

"Izzie planned the whole thing and invited the quacks and all these other people and she isn't even here," Celia stated in disbelief to Cristina. She smirked slightly when a shocked Meredith walked into the house.

Celia grabbed a bottle of tequila and took a swig before handing it over to Meredith, "Drink the problems away?" Meredith glared at the people in her house and snatched the bottle, taking a large gulp before handing it back to Celia.

George, bless the over-eager puppy ran over to them, "You want me to kick everyone out? I'm gonna kick everyone out."

"Sure, start with the mental defects," Celia smirked before jumping onto the table to dance with Cristina and her faithful Jose.

"Baby! You made it! Woo," Cristina cheered gleefully at Meredith.

Meredith sighed. She stared at Cristina who was dancing on the table with a beer, to Celia who was dancing besides Cristina and was taking swigs for Jose. "Screw it. Hold this," she passed the lamp to George and jumped over to join the girls, occasionally snatching the tequila from Celia's hand and back.

"Full house!" George yelled excitedly smacking the cards on the table; Celia, Meredith, Cristina and George were playing cards after they had gotten bored with dancing.

Cristina hilariously burped and they snickered at the two cards she had stuck to her face. Cristina let loose an evil laughter as she threw five cards onto the table, "Royal Flush. Get naked, baby boy. Sexy!"

"Surgery is stupid. It's stupid. It's stupid," Meredith complained with a slight slur. Cristina snatched the bottle of tequila from Meredith, "Give me that, you're drunk."

Celia snatched it back and took a huge gulp, "We're not driving. We're not on call and we're in our own house. Live and let live Cristina."

George was trying to get his shirt off when a really gorgeous guy with large muscles and blonde spiky hair walked up to them. "Is, um, Izzie Stevens here?" he asked hesitantly.

Cristina's eyes widened slightly and she smirked, "Oh, you must be Hank," she laughed and stood up – yup, she was so drunk, in fact, they all were. "He's large and hockey-like. No, Izzie's not here right now."

"You and Izzie will give birth to very tall, blonde people, like Barbies," George said dreamily, a bit of drool dripping from his mouth.

"Oh God. George shut up," Celia snickered. Hank gave George a weird look before staring at the two women who seemed to have more sense than the dude, "Izzie said she was going to be at home. She didn't say there was going to be a party."

"Which pisses the three of us off," Meredith grumbled, slowly pointing at him then herself and then Celia. She snatched Jose from Celia and took a clumsy sip, "Would you like some tequila? It helps."

"When do you think she's gonna get here?" Hank sighed in defeat; he should have known Izzie would be busy. She's always busy.

"Don't know, but we're low on ice Hank," Meredith giggled.

Celia smacked her forehead; poor Hank he looked so lost. Giving the dude a bone, she said, "What my drunk friend is trying to say-"

"I'm not drunk," Meredith whined in between hiccups.

Celia stared blankly at Meredith before focusing on Hank, "Like I was saying, what Meredith meant to say is that we are interns, Hank. The hospital owns us. It's what we do," she shrugged. Hank smiled at her in comprehension and left.

"Bye," George slurred after him.

"Nice to meet you," Meredith giggled.

Celia shook her head and snorted, drinking more Jose, "What am I going to do with the two of you," she muttered to herself before leaving with a new bottle.

"Hey, don't you think you're drinking too much? You want to talk about what's bothering you?" Celia stared blankly at the guy who just spoke to her. He was short and porky with blading black hair and black eyes hidden behind square glasses.

"Let me guess," Celia deadpanned with a slight glare, "You're a shrink?"

The man beamed, "Right it one. Dr. Jefferson, and you are?" He held a hand out to shake. Celia stared at the hand with disgust before sneering, "Leaving."

She growled to herself as she paced around the front porch, occasionally taking long swigs of Jose and muttering angrily under her breath, "Fucking shrinks! I hate them, hate them, HATE THEM! I'm gonna strangle you Isobel Stevens," she yelled into the night air.

Hearing a chuckle, she swayed slightly after turning around so quickly and saw Derek Shepherd with his charming smile leaning against a car in all his gorgeous glory, "You know, in some states you could get arrested for that."

Celia stormed over to him; shrinks always had a way of getting under her skin ever since she was a teen, and she needed to blow off some steam.

"So you blew me off for a bottle of tequila. Tequila's no good for ya. It doesn't call. It doesn't write. It isn't nearly as much fun to wake up to," Derek smirked letting out a sexy chuckle.

"Oh shut up," Celia grumbled pulling Derek in for a kiss. She felt something jolt inside her as their lips connected; she wasn't as drunk as she was the first time she met Derek, and she finally knew how it really felt to kiss this gorgeous specimen.

Derek froze in surprise before his hands snaked around her waist and he pulled her in, kissing her fervently back and relishing in the feel of her warm body against his, her soft and plump lips captured by his own. This was what he had been waiting for all this time and he felt his heart soar.

"Take me for a ride Derek," she whispered, staring at him with dilated pupils that were glowing with lust and need.

Derek didn't need to be told twice and he wasted no time in dragging her into his car. He sat in the driver's seat with Celia straddling him with her strong, toned thighs. She ripped away his shirt and began peppering his chest with kisses, making him groan in need. He pulled her top over her shoulders and he felt himself get hard when her D-Cup breasts bounced out and rubbed against him.

Needing more intimacy with her, Derek captured her lips in a kiss again, his tongue begging for entrance and the second Celia complied and parted her mouth, he plunged his tongue into her cavern. A tapping resounded from the window making them both jump and hasten to pull apart.

Bailey was glaring at the two of them in pure fury and disbelief, "You mind moving this tail wagon? You're blocking me in."

"Fuck me," Celia groaned her forehead drooping into Derek's chest.

Responsibility. It really does suck.

Now Celia had to face the responsibility of her boss catching her with her boss's boss. And the consequences won't be pretty.

Unfortunately, once you get past the age of training bras and braces, responsibility doesn't go away, it can't be avoided. Either someone makes us face it, or we suffer the consequences.

"Celia, come on," Derek pleaded her as she hastily put her top on and jumped out of his car.

"No Derek! No! _Just no_! This is what I've been scared of. Now Bailey is going to think I'm screwing you for surgeries," Celia took a few lungful of air before solemnly facing Derek and to his dismay, her face was cold and impassive again, "I was having a bad day and I used you for release. It's my responsibility and I'll face the consequences with Bailey tomorrow. But this," Celia pointed from Derek to herself, "This _cannot_ happen again."

Derek stared sadly at Celia and gave a small nod of defeat. As he turned back to his car to move it for Bailey, he heard Celia whisper, "Good night Dr. Shepherd," as she turned back inside the house and shut the door behind her. Shutting him away from her heart once again.

Adulthood may have its perks, but it's fleeting and you must be quick to grab onto it, otherwise, you may lose it forever.

 **A/N:** **Okay, just a little side note: the things I wrote about psychiatrist aren't my beliefs. In fact, I have no problems with them whatsoever. So if anyone reading this chapter got insulted, I'm sorry … it is only Celia's beliefs, not mine! :D**

 **R &R.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 6:**

There was a storm brewing outside, and Celia could be found lying down in her bed desolately staring at the ceiling, ignoring her alarm and its continuous blaring.

Maybe she should call in sick … no, Celia knew that she couldn't avoid Bailey forever.

A couple hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret to his success, 'Never leave that till tomorrow, which you can do today.' That is the guy who freakin' discovered electricity, so you'd think he knew what he was talking about … _right_?

"CeCe, what's wrong?" Meredith's concerned and supportive face loomed over her, and she wasted no time in scooting over to her side and laying down in the bed beside her.

Celia closed her eyes as she blurted out her current problem, "Bailey caught me and Derek about to have sex in his car after the party Izzie threw."

Silence; Celia could hear nothing but the storm crackling from outside, and she turned to Meredith to see how she was processing the news.

"Um, okay, that's, that's, uh, that's –"

"Bad. _Very, very bad_ ," Celia groaned.

Meredith nodded sympathetically, "Very bad. Don't tell me you're planning on avoiding her? Bailey is our resident, that's impossible."

"I know that. I'm going to confront her today. I just … Damn Derek and his sexy smile and charming words. It's his entire fault, I can't believe I caved. I never cave," Celia snapped angrily as she stood up to get dressed for her shift.

Meredith sighed compassionately, "CeCe, maybe this means that he's the one for you. You can't run away from men forever."

Celia stared incredulously at her best friend and fellow twisted companion, "Hark who's talking. I heard you having sex with another random guy in your room this morning," she smirked. "You have the same issues as I do when it comes to relationships."

Meredith glared at her but said nothing, knowing that her friend was right with her assumption.

Just Celia's luck; Meredith parked the car next to Derek whose face lit up when he saw her and hastened over to her side. Meredith kept a firm grip on Celia's hand, knowing that her friend wouldn't appreciate her ditching and giving them a moment alone with Bailey on the warpath.

Especially when she was out for both Derek and Celia's blood.

"Crap," Celia hissed, thankful for her friend's strong grip and presence.

Derek raised an eyebrow in amusement and repeated, " _Crap_?"

"Can we help you with something Dr. Shepherd? We're running late for our rounds," Celia asked in an icy tone, her eyes staring blankly into Derek's blue-blue eyes.

"You're avoiding me," he stated, not allowing himself to finally miss his chance in speaking to her since that night, even with Dr. Grey present at the moment.

Celia didn't know why people put things off, but if she had to guess, she'd say it has a lot to do with fear.

"No I'm not, I'm really busy with being an intern," Celia snapped back dismissively, sighing loudly in defeat when Derek remained beside her.

"Okay, are we going to talk about this? About Bailey and what she saw?" Derek persisted, his eyes flickering from an impassive and disinterested Celia to a disgruntled and amused Meredith.

"There is _nothing_ to talk about Dr. Shepherd. We nearly made a mistake and Bailey showed up in time to stop said mistake from happening. _There is nothing to talk about_ ," she repeated, stressing the last few words.

Meredith smiled sheepishly at Derek, "I'm sorry Dr. Shepherd, but we're running late. Gotta run," and without giving Derek another chance to say anything, she dragged Celia by the hand away from the persistent attending.

"Thank you," Celia smiled gratefully.

Avoidance probably comes from the fear of failure, fear of pain, fear of rejection. Or perhaps, fear of the unknown. Sometimes the fear is just of making a decision … a wrong decision.

Because what if you're wrong? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo? Like sleeping with your attending? Even if it happened once before you became an intern, and before he became an attending at Seattle Grace. It still happened.

Celia and Meredith ran into Cristina in the locker room, all three of them were late as they hastily began donning on their scrubs.

"You're late," Meredith said, pointing out the obvious.

Cristina raised both eyebrows and huffed, "So are you two. What's wrong with you Celia?" Cristina looked imploringly at the Latina intern's ruffled state.

"Where to begin! Bailey caught me and Dr. Shepherd half naked in his car at the party. And now I'm late and I can't afford to piss Bailey off any more. Do you think she told?" she rambled on, staring at her two friends worriedly.

Cristina gaped at her, deciding not to say anything about her giving in to Dr. Shepherd since she just slept with her own attending, Preston Burke, "About you and McDreamy?"

Celia nodded mutely. Cristina shook her head adamantly, "He's her boss too. She wouldn't do that."

Celia wasn't worried about being kicked off the program. She knew that the worst that could happen to her was being edged out, blacklisted, banned from his surgeries or probably even passed over as Chief Resident. Everyone would talk about her behind her back, but Celia didn't care about that … it wasn't the first time something like that happened to her. And people talking about her behind her back, wasn't foreign to her either.

"Cristina, Meredith, you're late," Bailey snapped over at them. Celia grimaced; she wondered how long Bailey was going to ignore her.

"So is Celia," Cristina blurted out immediately.

Bailey glared at Cristina, but didn't even spare Celia a glance as she began leading them to an open door. Before they entered, she turned solemn eyes on them and firmly but quietly said, "When we walk in this door, you _will_ maintain decorum. You will not laugh, vomit or drop your jaw. Are we understood?"

What the hell was in that room?"

Holy crap … A woman with an extremely large tumor the size of a small elephant lay in the bed staring shyly at the six interns that followed behind Dr. Bailey … talk about a giant tumor. How the hell did it manage to grow that big?

Alex surprised them all by striding towards her with full-confidence, a charming grin on his face, "Good morning, Annie. How are you? This is Dr. Bailey and these are my fellow interns."

What just happened? Everyone gaped at him in shock, and Bailey was the first to locate her voice, "Dr. Karev, we refer to patients as 'mister' –"

Annie cut into Bailey's dialogue, "I told him to call me Annie. Miss Connors makes me feel old and fat, which I am, but why feel that way?" she shrugged.

"Good morning," Burke announced as he walked into the room with a bright smile on his face.

"Annie this is Dr. Burke," Alex said before whispering conspiratorially in her ear, "Awesome surgeon."

"Dr. Karev," Bailey glared at him warningly.

That little scoundrel. He was sucking up to her so that he could assist in her surgery. Props to Alex … fucking cut-throat intern that one was.

Alex turned to Burke, "Annie Connors is a 43-year-old woman who presented last night with progressive shortness of breath for the past three months. Found to have a very large tumor of unknown origin pressed against her diaphragm. Stable vital signs scheduled for CT this morning, sir."

Burke nodded at Alex, "Thank you Dr. Karev," he turned to smile at Annie, "Are you at all claustrophobic?"

Annie shook her head wearily, "I've been housebound for the last year. How claustrophobic could I be?"

"All right then. Dr. Stevens is going to take you up for a CT. It'll give us a better look at the tumor, and we'll know how to proceed," Burke informed her.

"Could someone tell my mom? She'll worry if she gets back and I'm not here," Annie asked hesitantly. Once Burke acquiesced, Annie continued with a small smile towards Alex, "And would it be possible for Alex to take me instead? I mean, he … He's just so fun to look at."

Celia, Meredith and Cristina smothered their laughter and removed eye contact from Alex and Annie, while George and Izzie gaped incredulously at them. Bailey raised an eyebrow and Burke merely looked amused.

Alex laughed, and teasingly said, " _Annie_."

"You dog, you," Celia whispered in amusement, bumping shoulders with a smirking Alex as they left Annie Connors room.

"How much do you think it weighs?" asked Izzie in awe.

"60 pounds," George shrugged. Celia shook her head in negative motion and scoffed, "More. She's carrying a whole extra person."

"This one's going to be in the books. I've got to get in," Cristina said ardently.

"Let's move people. Ms. Connor's surgery should we choose to proceed, will take most, if not all, of the surgeons off the floor, which means you people will have to work extra hard not to kill everyone, cause we won't be there to fix your mistakes," Bailey snapped at them without even turning to look at either one of them.

 ****GA****

Knowing that they were seeing a patient of Derek's next, Celia grabbed Meredith, pulling her closer and whispering in her ear, "Mer, I need you to answer any of the questions asked in there, okay?"

Meredith stared uncertainly at her friend and hissed, "You're seriously going to flunk so that Bailey would get off your back?"

"No. Just for now. I need to keep some distance between Derek and I." Meredith nodded glumly as they entered the room, and just like Celia expected, Derek was inside with a man who looked to be having great difficulty in walking towards his bed.

"Morning," Bailey boomed into the room.

Derek smile amiably at Bailey and her interns, "Mr. Levangie, this is Dr. Bailey and her fine staff of surgical interns." He couldn't keep his eyes off Celia as he spoke, something Bailey noticed. Turning to glare at Celia, she did a double-take when she noted Celia had eyes on Mr. Levangie only.

"Welcome to hell, kids," Mr. Levangie chuckled shakily.

Bailey signaled for someone to present, and George hastened to speak up, "Edward Levangie is a 63-year-old man admitted for pain management for Dyskinesia. He's been stable since last night, and responding to the bolus injections."

"Izzie, possible treatments?" Bailey barked out.

"For Parkinson's disease? Um, for spinal pain," she replied unsurely, her eyes flickering from Bailey to Derek sheepishly. Derek shook his head, "Not for Parkinson's, for spinal pain."

While Izzie fumbled around for the answer, Celia nudged Meredith with a pointed stare garnering the attention of Derek and Bailey. Meredith piped up immediately after shooting Celia a faux-glare, "Intraspinal catheter. That way, he can have constant pain medication."

Derek forced a smile on his face, knowing that Celia knew the answer and had Meredith speak up so that she would not be on his service, "Excellent. This is Dr. Grey. She's gonna prep you for the procedure and assist. Excuse me," he pardoned himself as his pager began beeping and left the room.

Bailey's eyes trailed him, never once leaving his retreating figure as she addressed her interns, "You make yourselves busy, I'll catch up with you." She followed Derek into the elevator and blocked his exit.

"Miranda," Derek smiled charmingly, nodding his head to be polite. He should have expected the Nazi ambush. Bailey's glare increased ten-fold as she looked him down, " _Excuse me_?"

"Well that's your name, right? It's on your jacket," when Bailey didn't release him from her glare, Derek sighed and pacified her, "All right, fine. I'll just call you Bailey then."

Bailey harrumphed, crossing her arms as she stared him down, "You think you're charming in that talented, neurotic, overly moussed hair sort of way, good for you. But if you think I'm going to stand back and watch you favor her or hurt her in any way –"

Derek interrupted her with a solemn look, "I don't favor her. She's good. In fact, she's really good, she had her friend possibly assist in a surgery when she knew the answer because she didn't want you to think I'm favoring her," Derek rubbed a hand over his face in exasperation, "As for hurting her, I would never do anything to hurt her."

"Mmhmm, we'll see about that," Miranda grumbled as the elevator opened and she got out. Damn Derek Shepherd for being correct in his assumption; she noticed Celia force Meredith to answer the question as well. She never knew an intern to blow their chance in assisting a surgery, that is until Celia came along.

"You know, can I point out that, technically, I'm your boss," Derek called out from behind her.

Bailey raised both eyebrows at him and placed both hands on her hips, as she snapped, "You don't scare me. Look, I'm not going to advertise your extracurricular activities with my intern. However, the next time I see you favoring Celia Chávez in _any way_ , I'll make sure she doesn't see the inside of an OR for a month. _Just_ for the sake of balance."

 ****GA****

Celia sat down organizing charts when her phone rang _again_. She wanted nothing more than to throw her phone down the drain as she clicked the ignore button. Dragging a hand through her hair wearily, she perked up when she noticed Bailey speaking with Burke and Derek.

Once Bailey slipped away from them, Celia jumped at the chance to clear the air.

Avoidance, not gonna happen on her watch.

"What do you want Chávez?" Bailey grunted, snapping the infamous Nazi glare at her.

"I want, no I need to explain what you saw," Celia blurted out, her face was impassive as ever not showing a speck of nerves as she faced Bailey.

Bailey scoffed, "I know what I saw. I saw you and an attending –"

"With all due respect, Dr. Bailey, what you saw between Dr. Shepherd and I was an error on my part," Celia interrupted Bailey. Bailey stared incredulously at her intern. "The night before I began here as an intern I met a guy in a bar and we had sex," she said bluntly, "Turns out, the guy wasn't a stranger but Dr. Shepherd. Look, Dr. Bailey I don't date. And even if I do, I don't date my bosses. I want to succeed on my own terms without anyone favoring me, and if that means I never work with Dr. Shepherd again, then so be it."

Bailey scrutinized her intern closely, but she couldn't detect any lie. The stunt she pulled today proved that she was serious in never working with neuro patients again. In Bailey's opinion, actions spoke louder than words and today Celia's actions screamed loud and clear. Celia Chávez was unlike any intern she had ever seen before.

"Okay, I believe you," Bailey nodded.

Sighing in relief, Celia nodded, ignoring Derek who had just finished speaking with Meredith about Mr. Levangie and came to join them, instead her attention was focused on Chief Webber who only had eyes on Celia as he approached them.

"Chief Webber," Celia spoke politely.

"Dr. Shepherd, Dr. Bailey," Webber then stared exasperatedly at Celia, "Celia. Let us cut the formalities, right now I'm not Chief Webber, uh," he focused stern eyes on Derek and Bailey, "Do you two _mind_?"

"Oh no, not at all," Bailey stuttered.

"We'll leave you be," Derek gave a tight smile.

The two surgeons stood close by where they could easily eavesdrop and Webber rolled his eyes knowing that was as good as he was going to get from those two.

"What's up Uncle Richard?" Celia asked innocently.

Webber stared at her sternly, though his mouth twitched slightly, "Why aren't you answering your mother's calls?" he demanded.

Celia huffed and crossed her arms, "Uncle Richard you know I can't stand that she-devil we call my mother. I am not interested in answering her calls. Just tell her I'm busy, like really busy."

"Now why on earth would I do that? She would keep calling me at the workplace and I have no interest in talking to that woman," Webber grumbled in annoyance.

"You see. Thank you," Celia lifted her hands in the air.

"Answer her calls young lady," Webber called after her retreating back. Groaning when he saw Derek and Bailey staring at him, he grunted, "What?"

"What do you mean ' _what?'_ What's going on between you and Chávez?" Bailey glared seriously at him; Derek stared at the Chief in jealousy, hoping that she wasn't adamantly refusing him because there was something romantic between her and the Chief.

"Oh, God no. Really? Get your minds out of the gutter you two. Celia is my _goddaughter_ ," Webber snapped, walking away and muttering about ridiculous surgeons.

"Goddaughter?" Derek and Bailey repeated in a monotone. Bailey snorted at Derek, "You better hope the Chief never finds out about you and Celia Chávez."

So, right, haven't spoken about the Chief yet; Richard Webber is Celia's godfather. Richard and Antonio were best friends since high school. They went to the same college and med school, however, Richard moved on to become a surgeon while Antonio opened his own, homey clinic.

In fact, it was because of Richard that Celia met the Greys, since he worked with Ellis Grey in Seattle Grace, he thought it would be good for Meredith and Celia to become friends, and here they were … best friends, and both interns at Seattle Grace.

 ****GA****

Celia was suddenly grabbed by her wrist as she was walking along the hallway and looked up to see Dr. Burke staring at her. Not even giving her a chance to speak, Burke said, "Go prep Annie Connors for surgery. You're scrubbing in with Cristina."

Cristina winked at her from behind Burke while Alex glowered … huh, must have pissed Burke or Annie off. He really should do something about that temper of his; he could be such a hothead at times. "Yes, Dr. Burke. Thank you," she smiled, hurrying over to Annie's room.

"We just need to recheck your labs and get an EKG, so I just need to take a little blood," Celia informed Annie as she prepped her for surgery. Upon noticing Annie stare blankly at the wall, she sighed, "Look I know surgery can be scary, but Dr. Burke and Dr. Bailey are two of the best surgeons on staff."

Annie rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance, "That's ok, muffin. You can just do your job. You don't have to talk to the fat, nasty tumor lady. I mean, I let it get this bad. How much sympathy do I deserve," she glared at her stomach, shaking her head in disgust.

Celia sighed; she only activated her compassionate side that was hidden deep, deep, _deep_ inside, with her friends or the few patients that needed it. Sitting on the edge of Annie's bed, Celia smirked at her and said, "You want to know what everyone in this hospital calls me?"

Annie frowned in confusion and shook her head. Celia gave a tight smile, "They call me Cruella De Vil," when Annie stared at her gob-smacked, Celia continued, "I'm known as the frigid, cold and uncaring bitch because that's how I am. It's how I act. No one ever thought that there's probably a reason why I am like this or wondered why. And _that's_ why I'm being nice to you because I'm sure you have your own reasons for letting it get this bad."

Annie gave her a watery smile, blinking away her tears she said, "Every time I went to the hospital, someone died. All four of my grandparents, then my dad. My best friend's mom, my baby sister. They all went in, never came out. So I put it off."

Celia gave a nod of understanding, "I get it. If I didn't want to be a surgeon, I'd avoid this place like a plague," she joked making Annie break out in fits of laughter.

Unknown to the intern and the patient, the sound of Annie's laughter brought Dr. Burke and Dr. Bailey's attention and they slid closer to the room, staring in awe as the frigid queen herself made their currently brooding patient laugh.

"Why are you cold and uncaring with everyone else? You said that no one ever wondered what happened to you. I guess I'm asking," Annie asked hesitantly.

Celia finished prepping her up and giving her a sad smile. Before she left the room she said, "I got hurt. Badly. And it just … it just changed me."

Celia left Annie's room, not noticing the two quiet surgeons staring after her in thought as she made her way to the cafeteria. She sat down just in time to hear Alex angrily say, "He kicked me off that surgery for the same crap you pull every day."

"You know what. If I stuck this fork into his thigh, would I get in trouble," Cristina asked the others with a blank face as she held the fork threateningly in the air.

"Not if you make it look like an accident," Meredith shrugged casually.

Alex sighed in relief when George came up to them with Izzie in tow, "Thank God man, I'm drowning in estrogen here."

"Hey," Celia scowled at him, "Any guy would die to be in your place you know." Alex replied with a wink.

"Mr. Levangie's daughter is getting married and he's making her uncle walk her down the aisle because he doesn't want to do the surgery, even though he is a perfect candidate for DBS," Meredith grumbled. Suddenly she snapped her neck at Celia, but before she could say a word, Celia deadpanned, "No!"

"Come on CeCe, you're good at convincing people," Meredith pleaded.

"You're asking the person everyone calls Cruella De Vil to convince your patient to do surgery," Cristina asked bluntly with a look of disbelief on her face that was reflected in Alex, George and Izzie as well.

" _See_. Exactly my point," Celia said, waving a hand at Cristina's direction.

"Shush you. Celia may act like a frigid bitch, but she's good at this compassion crap when she wants to be," Meredith said seriously. Fortunately, Celia was spared from arguing any further as Meredith's beeper rang, "This isn't over Celia Chávez."

"God help me," Celia groaned.

 ****GA****

"Celia, why are you slowing down we have Miss Connors surgery," Bailey snapped as her intern halted by Mr. Levangie's door.

"Dr. Bailey I just need a minute." And ignoring Bailey's furious face, Celia walked into the room, sitting herself on the edge of Mr. Levangie's bed.

"Hi, Mr. Levangie. I'm going to be blunt with you, that annoying and skinny blonde intern that was here a while ago nagged me to convince you to do the surgery because apparently I'm 'compassionate when I want to be'," Celia scoffed and made bracket marks with her fingers.

Mr. Levangie looked frustrated, "It's my damn life. I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me what to do," he grumbled shakily as his body shook more with his anger.

Celia nodded in agreement, "I agree. It is your life. But it's your daughter's life too, and what she wants more than anything in the world, is for her father to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. Something you're taking for granted Mr. Levangie," Celia bluntly added.

"Excuse me?!" Mr. Levangie growled, glaring at her fiercely as his body shook even more.

Celia wasn't bothered at all by the anger in Mr. Levangie's voice or the glare that was fixated on her as she stared him in the face and continued speaking in a detached sort of voice, "I won't have that chance Mr. Levangie. My father was taken from me early," emotion and agony managed to seep into her voice, "He was murdered in front of me when I was nine years old," she chuckled dryly. "Take it from me Mr. Levangie; life is too short and precious. Do the surgery, if not for your sake, then at least for the sake of your daughter and the dreams of a little girl."

 ****GA****

Burke, Celia and Cristina were currently scrubbing in for Annie's surgery, she noticed that the two on either side of her kept staring at each other before quickly looking away … how odd … They can't be sleeping together … Burke was such a rule-follower, and Cristina always said that sleeping with an attending would be humiliating and not worth risking her spot in the program.

"If they pull this off, I'm totally calling Oprah," Cristina smirked at Celia. Before she could reply Bailey walked in with Derek in tow, a completely serious look on her face as she said, "You two been working out?"

"My mother is a health nut, made me exercise daily or at least on the weekends every week. Why?" Celia asked. Celia and Cristina were staring suspiciously at Bailey.

Bailey nudged her head towards Annie's unconscious form, "See that large pile of tumor? You're going to be retracting it for the next 14 hours, so I'm just saying I hope you have strong backs."

"Dr. Shepherd." They all snapped their heads to see a beaming Meredith staring expectantly at Derek.

"Yes?" he asked perplexed.

"Mr. Levangie has agreed to DBS. If we do it today. If he leaves, he won't come back," Meredith blurted out excitedly, she then smirked at Celia and said, "He also asked me to 'thank the feisty Latina brunette for smacking some sense into him', verbatim."

Derek, Cristina and Burke were rendered speechless. Bailey on the other hand, was feeling dandy, "Don't worry, Dr. Shepherd. It'll take hours before we get around to the spine. I'll page you." When Derek and Meredith left, she lifted an impressive gaze to Celia, "That's why you stopped by his room."

"Yes, Dr. Bailey," Celia replied casually with a shrug.

"I can't believe Meredith was right about you. How can you be so frigid yet compassionate?" Cristina demanded as they went into the OR.

Celia gave Cristina an amused glance, "It's a secret," she winked.

Hours into the surgery and Celia and Cristina ignored the sore pain that was beginning to burn in their backs. Seriously, they were in surgery, surgery for the removal of huge, gigantic tumor … Celia would rather die than complain and leave the OR.

Eight hours later, and they still weren't done.

"Look at the size of this artery," Burke said in an incredulous tone, not believing what he was seeing.

Bailey shook her head in disbelief, "My God. It's as thick as a thumb. You ever seen a vessel this size?"

"No. This thing's just feeding on all her blood," Burke sighed.

"We need more O-negative," Bailey called out to the nurses.

Derek had finally finished with his surgery on Mr. Levangie, scrubbing into the OR for Miss Connors, he entered, "How's it going?" his eyes subtly flickering over to a worn out Celia.

Burke stared at Derek with exasperation as he said, "It's more intertwined that the studies made it look."

"Hang another bag, call the blood bank. We need more O-negative," Bailey shouted once again. Annie Connors was going through the blood like a vampire would; they kept ordering more and more blood, and she just kept losing more and more in turn.

"I'm down ten units of blood and I haven't even flipped her yet," Burke informed Derek, who stared wide-eyed at Annie, "Oh wow. Look at that. Now how am I supposed to get artery?" Derek sighed, thinking the answer through before nodding, "All right, then. Forceps."

Two hours later, Izzie entered the OR looking exhausted. Her eyes focused on Burke, she spoke out in a weary voice, "Mr. Harper, the post-op heart patient in 2114. I had to open his sternotomy bedside."

Say what now? What did Izzie just say?

"You what?" Burke snapped his eyes bulging slightly as he stared at Izzie in shock.

" _What_?" the whole OR gasped out.

"He had cardiac tamponade," Izzie explained wearily, "His chest films were clean this morning. It just … it happened fast. He was in PEA. There was no time," her voice took in a desperate note, and Celia felt bad for Izzie. It seems she was lost and all on her own.

Huh, who knew Blondie had it in her. Looking at Cristina, Celia could tell that she was thinking along the same lines.

"Go ahead," Derek told Burke, "Go ahead. I got it. We're ok here." Once Burke had left with Izzie, Derek yelled out, "I need some retraction. Pull back on the retractor."

Celia gaped in amusement and disbelief when the sounds of Alex and Izzie arguing about Mr. Harper flooded the room, ending with Izzie screaming hysterically in screechy tones, "You are hateful! You are a hateful, hateful, lazy, arrogant, hateful man! Hateful!"

Celia and Cristina's amused eyes met, just as Derek sighed, "Never a dull moment here at Seattle Grace."

The blood vessel burst all of a sudden, squirting blood all over Derek and Bailey. Annie was losing too much blood, something they couldn't afford. They hadn't been anticipating so much blood loss and they were currently waiting on two units.

"The pressure's dropping."

"She needs blood. Where the hell is the blood?!" Derek yelled. "Some suction, please, in here, now. Come on. We're losing her now. Look at this. Look at this. _Come on_ ," Derek frantically began CPR.

Everyone in the OR stared sadly at Annie Connors as Derek stopped and said, "Time of death is 11:42."

" _I got it_ ," they all turned to see Alex run in with blood bags in his hand.

"It's too late Alex. We lost her," Celia said sadly.

Looks like Annie Connors didn't escape the family curse, and she was the next to die in the hospital.

Avoidance; it really does suck … maybe if Annie didn't avoid admitting herself before the tumor got too large she would have survived … but then again, maybe not.

 ****GA****

Twelve hours of holding up 50 pounds of tumor; Celia's back was killing her.

Popping her shoulders under the rain and stretching her back, she didn't see where she was going and bumped into Derek.

"Dr. Shepherd, I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going," Celia said apologetically, wincing slightly due to the pain in her back.

"You know, I give really good massages. Terrific at them actually," Derek smirked.

We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore, until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin meant. That knowing is better than wondering.

Celia Chávez continued to amaze him; he was wondering what she told Mr. Levangie that convinced him into doing a surgery he had been adamantly denying all day.

What was it about her that had Dr. Grey so confident that she would be able to succeed.

The compassion she hid from him.

Celia stared at him for a moment before slowly saying, "A massage would be nice _but_ it's just for tonight."

That waking is better than sleeping.

Derek smiled, "Just for tonight," he agreed.

And that even the biggest failure, even the worst, most intractable mistake beats the hell out of never trying.

 **A/N:** **Did you like this chapter? Don't worry all you Meredith fans out there, her time will come. Her dark and twisted side will start to show soon … her guy just hasn't arrived yet ;)**

 **Richard Webber is Celia's godfather … how did you like that? Chief Webber needs some lovin' in my opinion.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 7:**

Chocolate brown eyes snapped open, and Celia inwardly groaned when she felt a familiar muscular body clinging tightly to her from behind, and warm strong arms delicately holding her, hands splayed on the flat of her belly. Ignoring the amazing sensation she felt in her body and the amazing sex and the feelings of fulfillment Derek had her feel all night, Celia pushed his body and unwrapped his arms from her, instantly jumping out of bed and keeping a safe distance from the alluring Attending that was beginning to get her wrapped up around his finger.

"Celia, get back to bed," Derek murmured into the pillow, bleary crystal-blue eyes staring up at her, and a small charming smile appearing on his lips.

"You have to leave. _Now_ ," Celia hissed, striding around her room completely naked and gathering Derek's clothes from last night that they had carelessly thrown. Celia blocked the thoughts of last night and how they had passionately ripped each other's clothes from their bodies.

Derek groaned and slightly sat up, "What? My God, what time is it?"

Throwing his clothes onto the foot of the bed, Celia blankly stated, "It's 5:20, and I have pre-rounds. Thank you for last night, but like I said it was only a one night thing, don't get your hopes up," Celia icily informed him, causing him to sigh in disappointment.

Derek couldn't understand why he was feeling this way towards a cold, impassive person … he never went for those types of girls, yet here he was, naked in front of that exact person multiplied by ten. But Derek could not deny it any longer; he could see himself falling for her for some reason unknown to him.

"Oh, come on, Celia. When are you going to stop being cold with me," Derek asked, his eyes imploringly staring into hers as he got dressed.

Celia glared at him, her chocolate eyes flashing and resembling charcoal for a moment. She confidently stalked up to him in all her naked glory and coldly said, "I never gave you the impression that I'm a warm and sensitive person. I never led you on either. From the very beginning I told you that _I don't date_ , and it is just sex … if you don't like it then there's the door," walking towards the bathroom, she called out, "When I finish my shower you better be gone from the house, _Dr. Shepherd_."

Derek rubbed a hand frustratingly over his face, dragging it through his perfect, moussed hair before he strode angrily out of her room, down the stairs and through the corridor, loudly banging the front door behind him and not stopping until her had gotten into his car. He needed to keep a distance from Celia Chávez; she will end up being the death of him.

"Was that … was that _Dr. Shepherd_?" George gaped his eyes never leaving the door that slammed loudly by Derek.

Izzie visibly jumped at the power of which the door was shut, "Celia is doing McDreamy," she stated in shock.

Anyone who say you can sleep when you die, tell them to come and talk after a few months as an intern. Of course, it's not just the job that keeps us all night.

 _Damn you, Derek Shepherd … what are you doing to me_ , Celia thought as she angrily got dressed after her shower and entered the kitchen for some nice old caffeine.

"Morning," Celia grumbled, reaching out for the coffee and letting out a hearty sigh once the rich, warm liquid trickled down her throat. She blindly handed out more coffee to a bleary-eyed and yawning Meredith who had just walked in after her.

"Morning," Izzie chirped out, trading looks with George, before she casually ploughed on, "Hey, so it sounded like you were having some pretty radical sex last night, _all night long_. Who was the guy?"

Meredith glanced at Celia out of the corner of her eye, wondering whether or not her friend would be honest with their roommates.

Celia studied Izzie serenely, and after taking another sip of coffee she apathetically said, "Derek Shepherd." George and Meredith spat out their coffee, both of them surprised with her honesty, and Izzie's mouth comically dropped, her coffee-colored eyes staring into chocolate ones in surprise.

Celia allowed an amused smile to flit across her lips, "You expected me to lie didn't you?" Not giving them time to answer, Celia continued, "And you caught him leaving, so you were testing me to see if I would be honest with you or outright lie at your faces … so … did I pass?" she asked coolly.

"Uh, um, I, well we, uh, what?" George spluttered nervously; he may be friends with Celia and she wasn't rude to him like in the first week, but Celia Chávez still deeply unnerved him and was downright scary when she wanted to be.

"Damn you're good," Izzie whispered impressively.

Meredith faced her friend, a smirk on her face, "I thought you weren't going to sleep with him again after Bailey caught you."

" _Bailey_ caught you? _Bailey knows_?" Izzie stuttered in shock while George gaped at her in amazement.

Drowning the last dredges of her coffee, Celia rubbed her temples before piercing a stare at her two roommates, "Okay, listen up, because I'm only going to say this once. Before we started into the program I ran into Derek at Joe's and we hooked up, I didn't know he was my boss and he didn't know I was an intern. I just thought he was a random guy in a bar. We bumped into each other at the hospital on my first day and ever since then he's been trying to get me to go out with him. I don't date … like at all," she said bluntly, surprising George and Izzie, "And if I do, I don't date my bosses. Yesterday I caved, told him it was just sex. I haven't been getting into any of his surgeries recently, because I don't want people to cry out favoritism."

"So you're _not_ dating?" Izzie asked hesitantly.

"Nope," Celia abruptly replied.

"And you're not sleeping with him to get into his surgeries or any special treatment?" George asked shakily.

Celia smirked, "Never. Besides, I have no interest in specializing in neuro. Are we cool?"

Izzie nodded, "Yup. Come on, we're gonna be late."

Like seriously, life is so hard already, why do you keep bringing more trouble down on yourselves? What's up with the need to hit the self-destruct button?

Lying to George and Izzie would have brought more trouble than Celia needed. Honesty was so much better in this situation.

 ****GA****

"O'Malley, Yang, Karev, go on to the clinic," Bailey ordered them. "Grey, go to the Pit, and Izzie, Celia you two are with me."

Izzie's eyes travelled towards Derek Shepherd who was currently placing eye drops into his eyes. She then allowed her eyes to flicker onto Celia who was staring straight ahead, not even bothering to spare Derek a glance; Derek who was staring sadly at Celia's retreating back.

Wow, McDreamy has got it bad for Cruella De Vil, talk about complete opposites … Celia wasn't lying when she informed them of not wanting special treatment, and she was shrewd and honest this morning and for that, Izzie grudgingly respected her.

" _Help_! I need immediate help," a woman frantically yelled out.

"What's the problem?" Bailey asked rushing over to the woman with Celia and Izzie hot on her heels.

The woman grumbled and glared at the man that stood beside her, "My damn boyfriend swallowed my keys."

Celia and Izzie gaped, staring at each other bewilderly.

"I didn't want her to leave," the man choked out with difficulty; Celia winced, she could practically hear the keys scratching against his vocal cords.

Bailey sighed and motioned her interns, "Locate the lady's keys."

After getting the films of the crazy-key-swallowing dude, Celia and Izzie handed them over to Bailey who lifted them up immediately, and the three of them stared in awe and horror at the films.

"I assume the lady needs her keys to leave this guy's sorry ass behind," Bailey drawled out.

"Yeah," Izzie sighed out.

"Talk about unable to take rejection. Jeez, who would go through that much lengths," Celia murmured in distaste.

"Well, maybe because he loves her," Izzie shot back. Bailey frowned at her two interns; something was going on between them, but Celia looked undisturbed as always and said, "He needs a bronchoscopy."

Bailey nodded mutely, "See one, do one, teach one. You've seen one. It's time to do one. Celia, you stay with me."

Izzie beamed looking slightly surprised, "Alone? Seriously? Thanks. I mean, the vote of confidence in my skills and all. I didn't think you well, anyone was noticing how hard I've been working –"

"Izzie," Bailey snapped, "Go!" Meredith went up to her as Izzie left, "You paged?"

"Where are we?" asked Bailey.

"I did the consult, did the IV, the meds, the Postops, everything," Meredith said obediently; Claire Rice was a seventeen-year-old girl and apparently got some bug on her trip to Mexico with her friends … that was until Meredith noticed pink scars on her stomach, revealing that she recently had surgery and her parents had no idea.

Bailey nodded, "How is your pit patient?"

"She's febrile and has peritoneal signs," Meredith replied. The three of them frowned when Cristina passed by looking worse for wear.

"You all right, Dr. Yang?" Bailey called out with a slight frown.

Cristina held thumbs up, "Fine. On my way back to the clinic." She continued walking away looking really sick.

Meredith shook her head, and continued relaying everything about Claire Rice to Bailey and Celia, "I think she had some sort of illegal surgery done in Mexico."

"Botched abortion?" Celia asked hesitantly.

"No!" Meredith quickly said, "She has four laparoscopic scars on her abdomen and won't say what they're from, the parents are clueless."

"What else is new," Celia scoffed; that was one the main reasons why she didn't want any kids, thank you very much. Couples decide to have children and end up screwing them up more than ever, not bothering to take care of the life they brought into the world. They selfishly had kids so that they could screw them up.

Bailey glared at Celia, and decided to ignore her comment; she asked Meredith if she was a minor.

"Seventeen. Freshman in college, and I already ordered up for a CT."

 ****GA****

"Woah, something doesn't look right with Claire's CT scan," Celia frowned as she and Meredith glanced at in confusion. Just then Bailey walked over to them.

"Dr. Bailey? Claire Rice's abdominal CTs," Meredith handed over the scan to Bailey, who frowned the second she looked at it.

"Is this girl fat?" she asked bluntly, looking up at Meredith.

"Not at all. She's a normal college kid," Meredith replied.

"So what do you see," Bailey tested them.

"Her stomach's stapled. She's had a gastric bypass," Meredith answered at once.

Celia huffed, "And a bad one at that."

Bailey, Celia and Meredith went over to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Rice; Bailey stared at Celia to explain the procedure.

"Gastric bypass is a procedure normally done on obese patients to help them lose weight, and your daughter has had one done in Mexico," Celia informed them.

Mr. Rice gaped, looking shocked, "Claire? She doesn't need to lose weight."

Mrs. Rice scoffed loudly, staring at her husband cynically she snapped, "Are you kidding? This means _the_ _world_ to her," she then looked at the resident and two interns, rolling her eyes, she exasperatedly said in a tone filled with disappointment, "But it is so typical of this girl to take the easy way out. She's done it with everything since she was a little kid."

"Mrs. Rice, nothing about this is gonna be easy. She's gonna face a lifelong struggle with malnutrition unless she has surgery to reverse the procedure," Bailey told her in disbelief.

Mrs. Rice snapped haughtily, "Do the surgery." She then turned to her husband and hissed, "I told her to watch the freshman 15. Don't eat junk, exercise. But when she came home Christmas, who had to take her out and buy her a brand new pair of size 6 jeans because she couldn't get in the ones I got her last summer?"

Mr. Rice sighed, looking exhausted giving the impression that this was a common argument, "Tina, you know she tries so hard. She does. She gets good grades. She gets A's."

"She has illegal surgery in Mexico," Mrs. Rice added snappishly.

"Unfortunately, there were complications with the bypass," Bailey piped up before the couple could continue arguing.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Rice worriedly asked at once.

"She has what looks like an abscess under her diaphragm, and edema, which is the swelling of the bowel wall," Bailey informed them solemnly, "I can't say for certain she'll recover completely."

"Just do whatever you have to do to make her well, ok?" Mr. Rice asked desperately.

"What a bitch! Reminds you of someone?" Celia hissed angrily to Meredith as the three of them separated themselves from the Rices.

"The She-Devil," Meredith replied at once, a hint of amusement and malice in her tones.

"And who's that?" Bailey demanded whirling around to face her two blabbering interns.

Meredith glanced at Celia, who huffed and said with the most utmost distaste she could muster, "My mother." Bailey's eyebrows rose, but she didn't say another word as she turned around and left.

"Let's go check up on Claire," Meredith suggested, pulling Celia alongside her. They walked in on a heated argument between mother and daughter.

"What are you eating? And how much have you been working out? I mean, you know, most of the time, when people hit their target weight, they have to work to stay there," Mrs. Rice growled angrily at her cowering daughter.

"Everyone gains weight in college, Mom." Claire burst out, "It's … it's stressful. There's … there's not enough time for exercise. I just thought if I wasn't worried about my diet, then … I could focus more on my studies."

Huh, good excuse. Unfortunately for you Claire, your mom's a bitch and a fitness freak, so she won't care much about your studies, and lean more towards your weight. … Celia has a mother just like that, so she's been there and she knows the drill.

Mrs. Rice raised a skeptical brow, "So you took yet _another_ shortcut? Life doesn't work that way, Claire."

"Tina!" Mr. Rice yelled, finally having had enough.

Mrs. Rice turned to glare at her husband, "What? You want to argue this?" Mr. Rice snapped his mouth shut. She then turned to Celia and Meredith, "She has so much potential if she would just apply herself –"

"Ok. Ok I think we should focus on taking care of your daughter," Celia interrupted the bitch's bitching; keeping her impassive mask on before she slapped the bitch.

Meredith turned to Claire and smiled gently at her, "Claire, your parents agree, the best thing to do is to reverse the bypass."

Claire panicked; sitting up in the bed she turned her frantic face at her parents, "No! No, it's my body. I do not want surgery again. Please?"

"There were serious complications. And this is about your health," Meredith told her pointedly.

"But I'd rather be thin," Claire whined weakly, tears starting to leak down her eyelids.

"Well, I'm afraid the choice isn't up to you," Mrs. Rice said haughtily.

Celia sighed and walked over to Claire, "Your health is more important than being thin, Claire. Concentrate on your studies. Take up yoga or jog for an hour every day and eat fruits; it is a healthy way to lose weight _and_ be able to keep up with your studies."

Claire smiled tentatively at her and nodded while Mr. Rice stared at Celia in gratitude.

The bitch just looked as haughty as ever … God, she is exactly like the She-Devil.

 ****GA****

Bailey handed Meredith Claire's bowel in the OR after telling her to handle it with care.

"We need to free the bowel from the adhesions caused from the abscess," Bailey shook her head, looking at the unconscious patient in disappointment, "This poor girl. What was she thinking?" she asked rhetorically.

Celia scoffed; the surgical mask she wore didn't veil the fury written all over her face, "She wasn't thinking. All she wanted was her mother's approval, she wanted to please her." Celia inhaled and exhaled, recalling the soothing sounds of nirvana from when she was a teenager, and her face morphed from fury to impassive before Bailey and Meredith's very eyes.

To Meredith, it was nothing having already experienced Celia's abrupt change in moods many times before. Bailey however was distinctly ruffled.

"And this damage is the result," Bailey sighed looking down at her patient. She motioned Celia to help, "Here, resect that."

Celia nodded and turned to one of the OR nurses with her hand out, "Needle-tip Bovie, please."

Meredith hands over Claire's bowels back to Bailey.

Staring down at Claire Rice, Celia couldn't help but think of the similarities of both their mothers. Both obsessed with weight, and having the perfect body. Most important of all, never going over size 2, otherwise you're fat and a hardcore exercising system is supplanted.

All of a sudden, Claire's bowel bursts, spraying Celia with toxic waste.

Everyone couldn't help but stare in disgust at the revolting situation Celia had landed herself into and Bailey couldn't help but smirk slightly, "Ok, Dr. Chávez, now that you've drained the organ, we can attempt to repair it."

Standing over the patient covered from head to waist in a revolting noxious smell, Celia wrinkled her nose and grumbled, "Now my day is perfect."

Bailey, Meredith and a stinky Celia walked through the hall, finally done with Claire's surgery.

"So am I allowed to shower first, Dr. Bailey?" Celia raised an eyebrow at her resident who still stared at her smugly.

Bailey huffed, "Go shower first, you stink Chávez."

The two interns entered the locker room and was immediately bombarded by a whining Izzie and Cristina as they covered their nose and stared at Celia with watering eyes due to the smell.

"Ew. What smells?" Izzie struggled to speak out clearly.

Celia sighed and gestured her hands over her body in an obvious manner, "That would be me, or more specifically, my patient's insides all over me."

"Oh, God, oh Celia, you smell like …" Cristina trailed off unable to keep her mouth opened for long.

"Bile," Meredith shrugged in amusement.

Celia gave Meredith a deadpanned glare, "Shut it Mer. If you were a few inches closer to me, you would've gotten hit with her waste too."

"But I wasn't," Meredith teased.

Cristina wrinkled her nose and squinted at Celia; God, she was feeling nauseous and couldn't take the revolting smell, it was sickening. Even though she was a surgeon and should be used to such smells, she couldn't stomach it at the moment, "Something vile is stuck in your hair," shaking her head, Cristina groaned and pointed in the opposite direction far from her and her sensitive sense of smell, "You know, just go stand over there, please."

"I'm actually heading off to the showers," Celia groaned, mumbling to herself, "How much do I love being a surgeon right now…"

While Celia was cleansing herself from all the toxic waste in the shower, Bailey appeared in the locker room and had Meredith go assist Derek Shepherd in his Hemispherectomy in OR 1.

"Izzie, a word outside. And you, Yang, go check yourself out you look like hell," Bailey barked over at Cristina who was lying down on a bench.

"I'm fine," Cristina stubbornly called after her.

"Dr. Bailey?" Izzie asked slightly fearful; did she do something wrong? Was she in trouble? Why does Bailey want to speak with her alone?

Bailey folded her arms and fixed Izzie with an intense glare, "I am not an intern, I am not your friend, yet I can sense that there is tension between you and Chávez," before Izzie could utter a word, Bailey held a hand up, "Now I don't care about your private lives or problems, but if you're keeping something in that has the potential of distracting you, then you should spit it out. _Now._ "

There was silence between resident and intern as Bailey waited for Izzie to crack. Unsurprisingly, Izzie rambled out her problems a few seconds later, "It's just today, in the morning, I caught Dr. Shepherd leaving the house after he had spent the night with Celia."

Bailey scowled pinching the bridge of her nose; she knew this would happen, which was the reason why she frowned upon Attendings and Interns sleeping together, "You do know that Celia hasn't been on his service in weeks, there is no favori –"

Izzie interjected before Bailey could finish her speech, "Oh no, I know that. Celia actually came clean this morning. I mean, I was mad when I first found out, but after she was honest and I thought about how she wasn't getting special treatment, I don't mind her sleeping with Dr. Shepherd."

Bailey stared at Izzie with a puzzled look on her face, "Then why are you so bothered by it?"

Izzie sighed sadly, and bluntly said, "Because Celia is a frigid bitch." Bailey's eyebrows reached her hairline as she stared incredulously at the blonde intern. "I mean, Dr. Bailey, what I mean is … Dr. Shepherd left the house angry, he practically shook the house with the force of slamming the front door. And all day I noticed the desperate and sad looks he kept giving Celia while she ignored his existence completely … I just – Dr. Shepherd deserves better. Celia is horrible to him, and I don't know why he puts up with her."

Bailey gave Izzie a long hard stare down, causing Izzie to fidget nervously. She was surprised when Bailey spoke to her in a soft voice as she was readying herself for the Nazi rant, "Izzie, this is something between Derek and Celia. You can't sit by the sidelines and judge without knowing all the facts. Derek is a grown man, and the decision is completely up to him. Now go do something," Bailey barked at her at the end, and Izzie scuttled away from the Nazi.

Celia exited the locker room at that moment, thankfully smelling like a regular human being instead of the insides of one, "Chávez, let's go update Mr. and Mrs. Rice." She had enough drama with one of her interns sleeping with an attending; she didn't need another of her intern playing defendant.

"We were able to reverse the gastric bypass, but we did lose a significant portion of her bowel. And because of the short gut syndrome, Claire will never eat normally again," Celia informed the parents, knowing that Mrs. Rice would probably be ecstatic with the results now that her daughter won't be able to have proper nourishment.

"Ok, wait, do …?" poor Mr. Rice was stumbling over his words in shock, "How do we help her here?"

Celia added her input, "Well, getting proper nutrition will be a lifelong problem for Claire."

"Great," Mrs. Rice snarled angrily, "As if we already don't have our hands full with her."

Celia blew up in the bitch's face having had enough of Mrs. Rice's uncaring commentary, "She gets good grades. She stays out of trouble. She's smart. I think she just feels like nothing she does is good enough for you."

Mrs. Rice gaped at Celia, her face staring at her in defiance, "If you think that I'm responsible for this –"

"I think Claire is killing herself to please you," Celia interjected rudely, not caring about the proper protocol of speaking to a patient's parent at the moment.

"Oh, please. You have no idea what's going on in that girl's mind," Mrs. Rice spoke adamantly.

"You're her mother," Celia ground out, "She worships the ground you walk on. She didn't do this for herself."

"I think that the situation is completely –"

"Tina … shut up!" Mr. Rice growled out, walking away from her and leaving a shocked Mrs. Rice, Celia and Bailey.

 _Finally!_ Finally he decided to speak up for his daughter and shut that bitch up.

 ****GA****

Derek's surgery had ended and he saved the little girl's life. He sighed in aggravated exasperation; George O'Malley was right, Dr. Taylor had drunk alcohol before the surgery and nearly succeeded in killing his patient. Looking up at the gallery, he motioned for George to talk with him outside.

"Let me explain," Derek began.

"It's fine, I was out of line," George interrupted quickly, he knew the way he handled the situation was wrong.

Derek shook his head signaling that it wasn't exactly 'fine', "No, you weren't. I was. _I was_ out of line. Somebody should have taken responsibility. It should have been the guy doing the cutting. It should have been me. You didn't deserve what happened to you today. You did the right thing, code or no code."

Derek extended his hand for George to shake, and he wasted no time in reciprocating. George had no problem with Derek Shepherd; he was only glad that it was Celia and not Meredith that he was sleeping with.

"You saw me leave the house this morning, didn't you?"

George gaped at a smirking and amused Derek, and grudgingly nodded, "Yeah. Izzie and I did. Kind of hard to miss your dramatic exit when you shook the house after you."

Derek smiled sadly, "I'm not using her. And I don't favor her."

"Oh, no, yeah we know. She hasn't been in your service for weeks," George spluttered unable to believe that he was having this conversation with his boss. "You know, Celia can come across as harsh and uncaring in the beginning. She was kind of a bitch to Izzie and me before we moved in with her and Meredith, but now she cares for us in her own, twisted way. You have to give her time."

George didn't know why he was helping Celia and Derek out; he knew Celia wasn't looking for a relationship in Derek, but he felt it in his right as a man, the bro-code maybe, but he felt bad for Derek. Being with Celia Chávez, and able to handle her straight on wasn't an easy feat in his opinion.

Derek sighed in defeat, "Yeah, well. I don't know how long I can run after her before she succeeds in pushing me away." Derek had the appearance of a broken and defeated man, but he forced on a smile and said, "Come on, let's go tell Jamie's parents she's gonna be fine, barring any complications."

 ****GA****

Celia was exhausted when she arrived at the house after her shift and made a beeline for the kitchen where she found Izzie frosting a chocolate cake.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now," Celia stated as she went over to sit on the stool in front of the blonde.

"Yeah, well, I'm not," she shrugged, "If you wait a few minutes, you can have a piece of cake. Baked it chock-full of love," she laughed, before her tone turned into rambling and she spoke with conviction, "Actually, a chock-full of unrelenting, all-consuming rage and hostility, but it's still tasty."

Celia stared at Izzie shrewdly, "Okay, whatever you wanna say, whatever is bothering you, spit it out."

"I kind of ranted and called you a frigid bitch in my head … and to Bailey," Izzie blurted out, her body in a guilty stance.

Celia smirked and shrugged nonchalantly, "I am. Nothing new about that."

"It's just, _God,"_ Izzie settled both hands on the counter-top and stared beseechingly into Celia's chocolate brown eyes, "Why are you such a bitch to McDreamy? It is so _obvious_ that he _really_ likes you, why don't you give him a chance?"

"I'm done here," Celia said coldly, getting up to leave.

"No! No, talk to me. I want to understand how you can throw away a decent catch like Derek. He's pining over you like some love-struck teenager and you treat him worse than a Grade A bitch!"

Celia pierced Izzie with a harsh glare and felt a small sense of respect for the blonde when she managed not to cower under her gaze, "Look Blondie, you must have a past right? I mean everyone does. There must be a reason why you began modeling around in your underwear when you wanted to be a respected surgeon, am I right?"

Izzie flinched slightly, "Yeah, that's true."

Folding her arms, Celia icily spoke, "I have my own past. I'm dark and twisted, and basically 50 shades of fucked up. Derek knew what he was getting into. I told him from the start that _I don't date_. I was never dishonest with him; I laid everything out on the table." She tangled her fingers into her hair in frustration, "I built this wall, and Derek insists on banging through it, and he is almost succeeding in breaking through, and it scares me Izzie. I'm terrified because this man is making me feel things I have long forgotten, emotions I thought had died out long ago and I'm terrified."

"So give it a chance. What have you got to lose?" Izzie said simply.

Staring at the person on the other side of the door later on that evening, Izzie's words rang through her head: _What have you got to lose?_

"So, how about some company tonight?" Derek flashed his signature McDreamy smile at her.

 _A lot Izzie, I have a lot to lose, and I cannot take that chance._

"Depends," Celia stated icily, crossing her arms together, "Will there be a repeat of this morning?"

Derek's smile evaporated, replaced by a forlorn look; but he would do anything to spend more time with Celia Chávez in the hopes of breaking down her walls and finally letting him in, finally giving them a chance.

"No," Derek's voice came out in a whisper.

Celia's glare turned into one of suspicion, and she had to make sure, "Only sex?"

Derek gave a diminutive nod and parroted, "Only sex."

The door opened widely, allowing Derek right of entry, "Then come in, Dr. Shepherd."

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter? Celia is different from Meredith and she handles things differently; she saw no point in lying to Izzie and George like Meredith did in cannon, knowing that they were bound to find out and it would only cause trouble.**

 **Because of Celia's character and the way she handled things differently Izzie and George took the discovery of her sleeping with an attending in a different light to cannon.**

 **R &R.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 8:**

When Celia was a kid, she was addicted to fairy tales. She believed they actually existed, and Antonio Chávez tried his damn hardest to convince little Celia and Meredith of Happily Ever Afters.

There was no warm body enveloping Celia when she woke up. Groggily, she sat up and leaned her back against the headboard, squinting at Derek who was seemingly getting dressed. It had almost been a week since Derek and Celia began having sex with no strings attached, and the neurosurgeon had finally got the drill that he should leave once he had awoken.

 _A week. A week. It's been a week …_

Unbidden, a smile graced Celia's features and she stared at Derek with incredulity. Derek gasped and stared dumbstruck at how beautiful Celia was when she smiled … in fact, he could count the amount of times she smiled at him with one hand.

That fantasy of what her life would be. White dress, Prince Charming, who'd carry her away to a castle on a hill. She'd lie in bed at night and close her eyes, and she had complete and utter faith.

Celia jumped out of bed and approached Derek, bringing him in for a kiss, managing to shock him out of his stupor. They lips molded together perfectly and their hands roamed every sliver of skin available.

"So, Derek," she purred, stirring something in Derek, "How'd you like to join me for a shower?"

Derek's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets at the offer. He was starting to get used to the fact that Celia was apathetic and cold and would probably never let him in. "Is this a test?" Derek asked suspiciously, a tiny smile tugging the corner of his lips.

Celia batted her long lashes playfully, "I don't know … you tell me," she winked, and strutted over to the bathroom. Not even a second later, Derek's strong arms grabbed her and he lifted her into his arms. Celia wrapped her legs around his waist, their lips connected and they blindly made their way to the shower.

Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, they were so close, she could taste them.

But eventually, you grow up. One day you open your eyes, and the fairy tale disappears.

"I heard _laughing_ in the bathroom, CeCe, _laughing!_ From you!" Meredith grinned unabashedly, "I told you McDreamy was good for you."

"Yeah, there's actually a twinkle in your eyes," George gaped, unused to happy Celia.

"Well good for you. Finally letting Dr. Shepherd in," Izzie beamed, sliding over a basket filled to the brim with chocolate muffins. Celia stared incredulously at the three of them and said, "I'm not happy! I'm the same Celia Chávez that you all know and most probably love, I just … I feel good today, that's all."

Meredith smirked as she munched on one of the many muffins Izzie had baked, "Good enough to shower with McDreamy. Celia Chavez's only rule; leave when the sun comes up."

Celia stuck her tongue out at her and snatched a muffin.

George sniggered, "You know, Celia, you're actually a guy's wildest fantasy. You're like a myth, like unicorns to them."

"How so?" Izzie questioned George with puzzlement. George shrugged, "Most men don't like woman who are so attached."

"And I happened to stumble upon one of the rare men who do," Celia pointed out, her face lightning up as she took her first swallow, "This muffin is really good!"

Izzie shook her head forlornly, "There's something missing, some specific ingredient. But I can't remember what."

"Look just call her," George grumbled, which told Celia and Meredith that the two of them were arguing about the same topic long before they joined them in the kitchen and that George was repeating himself, "Call your mother."

"I don't want to call my mother," Izzie snapped immediately with distaste coloring her tone.

"Join the club," Celia muttered.

Most people turn to the things and people they can trust.

But the thing is, it's hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely. 'Cause almost everyone still has that smallest bit of hope, of faith, that one day they'll open their eyes and it will all come true.

Celia, Meredith and Cristina were currently examining a bunch of X-Rays that a psych doctor handed over to them with skepticism written plainly on each of their features.

"This guy belongs in Psych," Cristina grumbled out with a huff of annoyance, "What are you doing turfing him here?"

"He's my gift to you," the psych doctor smirked, "Had a seizure two days ago and another one this morning."

"What are you two talking about?" Meredith scoffed as a disbelieving Celia tapped pointedly at something from the patient's chart, "It says right here, 'He talks to dead people, his family thinks he's dangerous. They had him committed.'"

"That's Psych, _not_ Neuro. The guys a nutcase," Celia derided, thrusting the chart into the Psych Doctor's chest, who was glaring at the three female interns.

"Yes, and unlike the correspondence school you attended –"

"Oh, that would be Stanford, right?" Cristina interjected with a sneer.

"Dartmouth," Celia smirked smugly, her index finger pointing towards herself and Meredith in turn.

" _I learned_ _not_ _to jump to conclusions_ ," psych doctor growled out. Shaking his head, he carried on, "Sorry, ladies. We can't take him back until he's cleared."

"So you're dumping him on us," Cristina stated angrily.

"He thinks his seizures are visions," psych doctor suddenly shouted, having had enough of the three interns questioning his competence.

" _Hello_!" a stranger yelled out sounding increasingly insulted, and the three interns and the psych doctor whirled around to face the patient lying on a hospital bed. "They're _not_ seizures _. I'm psychic_ ," he informed them adamantly.

Celia's eyebrows met her hairline. Was this guy for real?

"Of course you are, and I'm a chicken," Celia stated dismissively, causing Cristina to cover her snort of laughter in her hand. Meredith glared at the two of them before giving the patient a kind smile, "Ok, Mr. Duff. We're gonna start our workup now."

"Work me up, work me down, I'm telling you it's a waste of time," Mr. Duff said nonchalantly and there was a hint of a smirk ghosting on his features.

"Good luck," the psych doctor imparted as he left the room.

"This is a frikin' waste of time," Celia mumbled to herself, placing a hand over her eyes. Meredith and Cristina nodded subtly in agreement. Huffing, Cristina went closer to the patient and said, "Ok, well humor us. Can you grip my fingers, please?"

Celia's attention waxed when Mr. Duff's eyes turned unfocused and his jaw slackened … he looked as though he were under a trance. The three interns traded unsure, flabbergasted looks as he appeared to be unhearing them as they constantly called out his name.

"Someone …" Mr. Duff finally spoke in a carrying whisper.

Meredith frowned in confusion, "Someone what?"

Mr. Duff's face cleared out and he was back to normal, or well … as normal as he could be … defining what normal was in his dictionary. "Someone's gonna check out," he said with a small smirk. He then waved his hand and sang, "Bye-bye."

"Oh man, he's nuts," Cristina groaned.

Celia grimaced, "I already told you that before … you know," she added on second thoughts, "We're not exactly displaying proper beside manners." Meredith and Cristina were the ones to grimace next, noting that Celia was correct in her assumption.

Mr. Duff stared at Celia with amusement, not in the least bit insulted, "I'm telling you, someone on the fourth floor is gonna die."

The words barely escaped his lips when the PA System blared, "Code blue, fourth floor. Code blue, fourth floor."

"No effing way," Celia hissed, her eyes widening ever so slightly. The three interns gaped bewilderly at their 'psychic patient' and then to the code team who were running frantically in the hallway, and they escaped the room to the fourth floor.

 ****GA****

"Can you believe it? My 'psychic' patient said that someone on the fourth floor would die, and _bam_ the patient dies," Celia grumbled to Derek as they rode the elevator.

Derek smiled, "Is this your way of asking for a neuro consult?"

"No," Celia scoffed, her mocha-colored cheeks tingeing a slight pink, "I was just complaining to you … come to think of it," her face morphed into one of horror, "It was inappropriate of me Dr. Shepherd –"

"No! No, no, no, no, no, _don't_. I'm happy that you started a conversation with me," Derek beamed at her, a hand instinctively caressing her soft, creamy cheek. "I've been waiting for a really long time for you to open up to me."

Celia scoffed and smacked Derek's hand from her face, though there was a hint of a smile, "Dr. Shepherd, now _you're_ being unprofessional. … Anyways, the ICU is on the fourth floor. People die all the time," she mumbled to herself as she left the elevator, trying to make sense of the 'psychic' patient she was stuck with for the day.

Derek had a fond smile on his face as he watched the retreating back of the feisty intern who was currently muttering to herself. Whatever the reason for her being in a good and chatty mood today, he was glad for it. He had never seen her blush before or that slight twinkle of merriment light up in her eyes, those pouty lips tug in a beaming smile … Derek witnessed all that in a few hours, and he felt his heart beat uncontrollably.

There was no denying it … He was falling for Celia Chávez.

 ****GA****

"You're with me on this?" Celia asked her fellow intern grumpily.

"Unfortunately," Cristina muttered, "If only there was a better case today."

"Let's just do this and get it over with," Celia groaned; together, Celia and Cristina entered Mr. Duff's room, and he wasted no time in opening that arrogant mouth of his.

"A little Botox would do wonders on those frown lines," he informed Cristina, he then switched his gaze to Celia, "And you darling, happiness suits you."

Celia scoffed, "You don't know me to know that." She appeared nonchalant, but on the inside, she was reeling; _how the hell would he know that I'm rarely ever happy?_

Sensing her fellow twisted intern's distress, Cristina snapped, "Shut up," to Mr. Duff, succeeding in bringing out a smug smile on his face.

"Are you allowed to talk to me like that?" he mused. Cristina hissed at him and Celia spared him an eye roll. "God, you're hot. In a Mrs. Livingston kind of way," he winked at Cristina.

Celia snatched the papers of Mr. Duff from Cristina's hand and snarled, "See here? These are spikes in your temporal lobe. It means you have epilepsy. _Not_ visions. _Seizures_."

Mr. Duff's demeanor changed from superior to nervousness, "You think I'm epileptic? That is no-not right."

"We're gonna order an MRI so we can take a closer look on your brain," Cristina informed him.

"Yeah, there's no way –"Mr. Duff went into yet another trance, this time however, it was longer than the previous one.

"Mr. Duff? Mr. Duff, can you see me? Can you hear me? Stay with me," Celia said firmly, as her and Cristina tried bringing him out of his stupor.

Once Mr. Duff's vision cleared up, he only had eyes for Cristina, "I wouldn't have picked you for the mommy track, Nurse Betty."

Celia sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening as she whirled around to face Cristina who was staring resolutely ahead at Mr. Duff who smirked smugly and carried on, "See? I told you I know things. This pregnancy thing, you can't run away from it."

Celia's eyes flickered from Mr. Duff, to Cristina and then to her flat stomach before she stormed out of the room with Celia hot on her trail.

"Dr. Bailey, I want _off_ the psychic case. I'll take whatever you got. Can I switch?" Cristina desperately implored Bailey, though the demanding was implied in her tone.

Bailey barely gave her a second glance as she drawled out, "Ask nicely."

Cristina frowned in confusion, her eyes roaming from Bailey, to Izzie and lastly Celia, "Uh, this is me doing nicely." Bailey halted in her movements and settled her harsh glare at Cristina.

"Look, I know the type. These guys just want everybody to think they're a sideshow. Let me take him," Izzie told Bailey.

"I don't do switches," Bailey scowled.

"I'll do your post-op notes for a month," Cristina offered in a heartbeat, her face shining with desperation and hope.

Bailey thought about it for a moment, before giving a diminutive nod, "Fine. I can accept that." Cristina beamed in victory, "Izzie, you get Psych guy with Celia. Yang, this is your lucky day. You get to be with me on the breast cancer. And there's spotting. So you'll need to do a pelvic. She's pregnant."

Celia tried suppressing her laughter at the incredulous look on Cristina's face, she really did. This just wasn't her day. Sidling over to Cristina's side, she whispered, "So, just to make things clear … I'm supposed to act like I heard nothing, and that I'm clueless to your … current situation. Correct?"

Gratitude shone in Cristina's eyes, and she brusquely said, "Correct."

"Done," Celia sang cheerfully. Unknown to her, she didn't hear Bailey's incredulous question directed at Cristina, "What the hell's got Chávez in a miraculously good mood today?"

"She's been like that since she woke up this morning. I don't think it's permanent," Izzie shrugged nonchalantly, following Celia's footsteps to Mr. Duff.

 ****GA****

While Cristina was suffering with a pregnant patient, and while Celia and Izzie were being tormented by an apparently 'psychic' patient, Meredith had just finished assisting Dr. Shepherd in surgery with Mr. Walker.

"Any changes, Mr. Walker?" Derek inquired.

"I can't move my legs at all now," Mr. Walker muttered.

Mrs. Walker was suddenly frantic as she rounded up on the attending and intern, "He said he was moving his legs when he came in. What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know," Derek sighed despondently. "The paralysis is moving very quickly and there was nothing in the MRI to explain it."

Meredith softly asked, "Has Tommy been under any stress lately?"

"You know what's making me stressed?" Mr. Walker rudely interjected, "Is being here and not being able to _move_!"

"Dr. Grey," Derek nodded to her, giving her permission to speak.

"Emotional trauma can be converted into something physical, right?" she inquired. After Derek nodded and informed her that it was possible, she ploughed on, "Like hysterical numbness or paralysis. Maybe there is no physiological reason, and he's just having a conversion reaction."

Derek's eyebrows flew upwards, "You think it's psychosomatic?"

Suddenly, the curtain behind them was abruptly yanked open and Mr. Duff yelled out, "It's not in your head, man. _I_ believe you."

"Mr. Duff, please," Izzie begged him kindly, trying to release his hold on the curtain.

"Who is that?" Derek frowned, baffled at the comical sight displayed in front of him.

"Psych sent him down. He has visions," Meredith's smile turned into an amused smirk when her best friend's voice floated around them, and her eyes gleamed victoriously when she noticed Derek's face soften at her sudden appearance.

"Come on, Mr. Duff, there are other patients here. You can't just go yelling your sycophantic beliefs around the hospital," Celia growled, trying to reign in her patience, oblivious to Derek and Meredith watching on.

" _Celia_! You _can't_ talk to a patient like that," Izzie hissed, unconsciously pausing in her attempts of releasing the curtain from Mr. Duff's strong grip.

Mr. Duff however, smirked gleefully, his eyes dancing with amusement, "Leave her be Blondie. Darling here is a spitfire, aren't you _CeCe_?"

Meredith gasped, though she was trying to muffle her laughter. Mr. and Mrs. Walker were deeply confused, while Derek glared at Mr. Duff's obvious teasing to Celia and pet name.

Celia rubbed her temples, "You're going to end up being the death of me. I am not going to ask how you knew to call me that. Let. Go. Of. The. Curtains! Now!"

Mr. Duff grinned but acquiesced, and Izzie wasted no time in shutting them leaving Derek and Meredith in a ringing silence and allowing Meredith to finally break out into fits of laughter that were threatening to consume her.

 ****GA****

Celia and Izzie were loading Mr. Duff into the MRI machine, wanting nothing more than to create a large distance between them and the nuisance of a 'psychic'.

"Your nostrils are flaring," Mr. Duff commented offhandedly. Izzie gave Celia a 'why me' look, but still responded, "They are not."

"You're into me. I can tell," Mr. Duff carried on, "'Dr. Small and Angry' was a hit appetizer but you, doc, are a smorgasbord of lust. You however, grumpy, you have a hot thing going on with the perfect haired attending. He loves you, I can tell."

Celia glared at him, "Excuse me? There is _no_ love between us. He's my boss, and I am not having this inappropriate conversation with you so _shut up_!" she seethed. Izzie didn't even bother scolding her for being rude to a patient; she knew that this was a serious matter to Celia and that the idea of love obviously terrified her.

Izzie took control of the situation, "I hope you're not claustrophobic. You're staring at me. Stop it."

"I'm looking at you sweetheart, but it's the strangest thing," he frowned slightly, "I'm hungry for a chocolate cupcake."

"What did you say?" Izzie was floored, and Celia wasn't faring any better as they both gaped at the 'psychic'.

"A chocolate cupcake," Mr. Duff repeated formulating his words clearly, "Maybe one of those fudgey things with the white squiggle on the frosting. Could you oblige?" and there it was … his arrogant smirk was back in place. Celia was wondering where it had disappeared to.

"What," Izzie scoffed, her face a mixture of disbelief and insecurity, "Do I still have some chocolate on my face or in my hair or something?

"No, you don't Izzie," Celia spoke quietly, feeling weirded out with this whole situation. How did he know?

"I know the drill," Izzie snapped at Mr. Duff – speaking about the inappropriate way to talk to patients. "So keep it up. Next you'll be reading my cards, telling me my dead uncle is in the room."

Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Duff simply asked, "Is he?" Celia tried not to release her snort of laughter … Mr. Duff had his funny moments.

"I don't have a dead uncle," Izzie snapped.

 ****GA****

"We did an angio on the psych guy. The MRI came out clean, but we noticed a ditzel. There's something there," Celia brusquely informed Bailey, handing over the scans.

Once Bailey had studied them, she nodded, "Yep, you're right. There's an AVM on his left temporal lobe."

"Should we schedule the OR for tonight?" Celia inquired.

"The attending has to see the films. We need consent forms first," Bailey informed her. Just as Celia was about to walk away, Bailey stopped her, "I'm surprised that I was wrong about your situation."

"Pardon?" Celia was baffled, and she could have sworn there was pride in Bailey's dark brown orbs.

"You and Shepherd," Bailey stated, "I was wrong. That's rare. He needed an intern with his patient today and called for Grey. You're actually being professional and there isn't any favoritism involved and I have received no complaints. So, I was wrong, that's all you're gonna get for me, now go back to your psych patient."

A smile curved on Celia's lips as she nodded and walked away; she really was in a good mood today.

After getting the consent forms, she joined Izzie in the room and handed them over to Mr. Duff, "You need to sign these consent forms so we can proceed with your surgery."

"Darling, I'm not signing anything unless it's got my name on it followed by a whole bunch of zeroes," Mr. Duff smirked at her, ignoring the forms she shoved under his nose and holding eye contact with Celia.

"Look, the AVM is located in this crucial part of the brain. It's a tangle of blood vessels that could burst and affect your speech, among other things," Izzie spoke heatedly, "So, we know your _visions_ are _actually seizures_."

Celia rolled her eyes and blocked their chattering for a while – Izzie always got so damn attached to all her patients. Her problem was that she treated every patient as though they were a personal matter to her … Izzie should take care, because that could be her downfall to becoming a kick ass surgeon.

"Hmm. Well, we'll just see about that, cricket."

"What? What did you just call me?" Izzie stared dumbstruck at Mr. Duff, the previous argument about him being a psychic or not, all but forgotten. Mr. Duff merely smirked, causing Izzie to storm out of the room.

"Mr. Duff, why are you being so difficult?" Celia asked crossly as she left to follow Izzie. She found her by the stairwell staring down into her phone, "Hey, Iz. You okay?"

"My mother … my mother calls me cricket. No one knows that. H-how did he know that?"

 ****GA****

"We brought the consent forms again," Izzie said as she and Celia entered Mr. Duff's room.

Celia noticed that Mr. Duff looked defeated. His playful nature and smirk had all but disappeared as he looked at the two interns woefully.

"Mr. Duff, you really need to sign them. Your surgeon scheduled the OR," Celia placed a gentle arm when she saw that he went into yet again, another trance. "Mr. Duff, are you all right?"

"Mr. Duff, are you having another seizure?" Izzie frantically asked him just as he snapped back. His eyes pierced through Celia, and she felt like he knew something, but she shook it off.

"Yeah, yeah. I think maybe I am," he replied impartially, his eyes still focused on Celia.

After a bit more convincing on Izzie's part, Mr. Duff finally signed the consent forms. Turned out, he was scared that he wasn't an actual psychic and his visions were only the result of his seizures and that if he did the surgery, they would go.

Celia and Izzie stayed by Mr. Duff's side after his successful surgery, and they were the first ones he saw once he finally opened his eyes.

"Mr. Duff, you're still with us," Izzie smiled down at him.

A small, barely present smirk crossed his features when he stared up at Izzie, For your recipe … one tablespoon coconut extract."

Izzie's face was comical; her eyes were so round, her pupils threatened to pop out and she gasped.

Celia huffed, "This is ridiculous. I'm sure there is a scientific and realistic explanation to all th –"

"Doll," Mr. Duff whispered; that one word sending chills down Celia's spine and she whirled around to stare at Mr. Duff with disbelieving eyes.

"Excuse me, what did you just say?"

But there was no cheeky smile, or smug smirk. Mr. Duff stared back at her with haunted eyes, a sorrowful look on his face and the only thing that crossed Celia's mind was, _he knows_.

"He called you 'Doll'," was all Mr. Duff said. A frown puckered on Izzie's forehead, confused brown orbs staring at her friend who looked pale as a sheet, "Celi –"

"I have to go," Celia snapped and she rushed out of the room, taking solace in an on-call room, trying her hardest not to cry. She hasn't cried in years, and damn it, she wasn't about to break her track record.

 _He really is a psychic!_

At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don't really expect it.

"Celia, how would you like to sleepover in my trailer tonight?" Derek asked, cornering Celia in the parking lot of the hospital. Celia smiled and nodded; anything to get her mind off her psychic patient.

After they had mind-blowing sex, Derek held Celia tightly in her arms. Celia stared down into Derek's calm blue-blue eyes and said, "Tell me something … anything. Distract me from my thoughts."

She looked so vulnerable, an emotion Derek had never seen before whenever he was around Celia, and he acquiesced without a second thought.

"My mother's maiden name is Maloney. I have four sisters and uh, nine nieces. Five nephews," Celia smiled at the fondness and adoration laced in Derek's tone as he continued, "I like coffee ice cream, single-malt scotch, occasionally a good cigar. I like to fly fish, and I cheat when I do the crossword puzzle on Sunday," that elicited giggles from Celia, and Derek's smile widened, "I never really dance in public. Um, favorite novel, The Sun Also Rises. Favorite band, The Clash. My favorite color is blue; I don't like light blue, indigo. The scar right here on my forehead," Celia traced it and stared at him questioningly, "that's why I don't ride motorcycles anymore. And I live in this trailer, but all this land is mine; I have no idea what to do with it."

"Thank you," Celia whispered as she drifted off to sleep. Derek stared down at her with lovestruck eyes and joined her a few minutes later.

But Celia grew up; she lost people, and experienced the brutal lesson that is life. She walked amongst the living feeling out of place, and anything but normal, disconnected from the human emotions every person managed to live through on a daily basis.

Tragedy struck Celia Chávez's life … tragedy that made her different from all of humanity.

 _Hello, Doll. Did you miss me?_

Celia gasped; waking up from a nightmare that she thought had been forever lost. Sweat poured down her forehead, and a few tears leaked down her eyes as she studied her surroundings.

Derek was asleep next to her, looking peaceful, undisturbed by nightmares, not haunted by his past.

Celia was in a good mood that day because she thought the nightmares had stopped, but apparently they hadn't. That was the reason she didn't date … being intimate with men brought back her night-terrors.

Slowly, Celia untangled herself from Derek's limbs and called a cab. She stared down sadly at Derek … it could never work … kissing his forehead, and shutting her eyes from all the pesky emotions that he had made her feel, the way he made her feel alive again after years of living in darkness and she sighed forlornly.

"I'm sorry Derek, you deserve better than me," and with one lingering kiss on his forehead, she departed.

Life dealt Celia Chávez a cruel hand. She stopped believing in fairy tales and Happily Ever Afters. Prince Charming wasn't about to save her on his horse, he wasn't about to kill her demons away at sword point. There was no castle … there was nothing but cruel, cruel life.

Celia would never escape her past, because her past always had its way of haunting her and catching her back into its cold clutches once she believed she had finally evaded them.

Derek wasn't her Prince Charming … he couldn't be. It was time for Celia to get back to her dark and twisted life and turn off all the emotions that make her human.

 **A/N:** **This was kind of a dark chapter … I revolved it around the psychic because he was important to bringing up a few topics of Celia's past. This was a Celia chapter so that we could understand her thoughts more clearly.**

 **But … Addison is coming soon! I'm sure you're all excited to see what happens. The only spoiler I will give you is this; Celia deals with it** _ **a lot**_ **differently than Meredith did.**

 **R &R.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 9:**

Secrets and Lies; they are something unavoidable and inevitable.

There comes a time where your whole life becomes revolved with secrets, and in order to hide them, one must be adept in lying … otherwise the secret is out.

Secrets can't hide in science. Medicine has a way of exposing the lies. Within the walls of the hospital, the truth is stripped bare.

For Celia Chávez however, secrets are a second skin to her, clinging on to every curve, each limb, hidden beneath well-crafted lies, impassive masks of indifference and a deft poker-face. How to keep secrets _outside_ the hospital … Well, that's a little different.

Living with George and Izzie, Celia Chávez and Meredith Grey contribute teamwork, showing a different façade to their doe-eyed, puppy faced and innocent co-interns and roommates.

Currently, Celia was curled on the floor, her forehead flush against the cold wall and already dressed for her shift with the curtains drawn shut, lost in thought, trying to block out Izzie and George's daily morning routine of arguing over the bathroom. Apparently George was wanking himself in the bathroom and Izzie was blundering apologies for disturbing his 'manly private time'.

Suddenly, a warm body positioned itself next to her. She didn't bother reacting, knowing that only Meredith had the audacity to enter her room without permission. They were best friends and twisted sisters after all, and Celia always made exceptions for Death.

"You slept at McDreamy's," Meredith stated; she didn't have to pry or ask. All Meredith had to do was throw the question out there, lay it out in the open and wait for Celia to spill her guts.

Five tranquil minutes passed by before Celia parted her lips and the words spilled out, one after another. "I never spend the night elsewhere. I always bring the men back to my place, a motel or a temporary hotel room, perchance one of our cars, but never, ever, _ever_ _their_ place. Derek Shepherd is peeling away my many masks, Mer, and I'm terrified. I haven't been scared in nearly a decade, and this slip of an attending managed to corner me, managed to open the dam and leak out its contents I guarded safely."

Meredith shot Celia a commiserating yet happy look, "CeCe, remember when we were kids, and we believed in Fairy Tales and Prince Charming? When we believed that dreams _do_ come true, and that we would live Happily Ever After?… Remember how your dad used to read us stories of dragons, castles and Princes on horseback; how we were his two precious princesses and one day our prince will come?"

Celia nodded, quashing the traitorous tears that threatened to consume her; she hadn't cried in over a decade and she wasn't about to break her impressive streak.

"I think the Prince your dad promised had finally arrived, except instead of riding on a horseback and whisking you off to his castle, he appeared in scrubs with a trailer," Meredith said calmly, knowing that Celia, like her, would freak out and deny, deny, deny, looking for any excuse to escape love and 'Happily Ever Afters'.

"Death, I love dad, but when we grew up, life happened. We were exposed to its harsh cruelty, to its biting _reality,_ and we agreed that they were nothing but empty dreams and make-believe, an empty promise to increase a child's expectations and bullshit." Celia shot up to her feet, pulling Meredith alongside her, "I need to keep my distance from Derek and put up my barriers. I _cannot_ love, Mer, I _canNOT_ open up. He is Dr. Shepherd again, I'm done."

"CeCe, be honest. What brought all this on? This … _epiphany_ ," Meredith asked hesitantly.

Celia stiffened, her hand frozen halfway reaching out for the doorknob, and she slowly turned to face Meredith, trepidation and impassiveness fighting to be the controlled expression on her face, "The psychic patient, Mr. Duff. He-He knew about my, about my past, Mer. He-He _stared_ at me with pity, and-"

"And…" Meredith trailed off, conflicted between wanting to know and leaving Celia's dastardly past behind as they always did ever since they reacquainted in Dartmouth.

"And he called me ' _Doll'_ ," Celia whispered harshly. That word, that 'pet name' had the added effect; Meredith's eyes threatened to bulge out from their sockets, and her blood turned to ice. But Celia continued, now that the dam was broken, she needed to confide in her sister, "The nightmares have returned. Constantly sleeping with Derek, the routine brought back my night terrors."

Shaking her head, Meredith plastered a fake smile, trying to be comforting, onto her face and hurriedly changed the subject, "Let's head over to work, we'll be late, CeCe."

As the two twisted sisters clambered into the car, Meredith's phone began to ring. Flashing Celia a confused frown, she picked up, "Hello?"

"Dr. Grey, this is Mrs. Henry from the nursing home. I'm calling about your mother."

"Is she alright?" Meredith asked absently, mouthing 'mother' to Celia who merely nodded and stepped on the gas. "Oh, it's nothing like that," Mrs. Henry chirped prompting an annoyed scowl at the displayed chirpiness so early in the morning.

"Can I call you later, then?" Meredith sighed, she didn't have time to deal with her mother at this hour of the day, and not when she needed to focus on being an intern and succeeding in her goals.

"Uh, I just wanted to –"

"I have to go," Meredith interjected, quickly hanging up the line. Bless her; Celia didn't bother commenting; merely parking by the parking lot of the hospital and stepping out of the car as though nothing happened with Meredith faithfully by her side.

One thing was for certain. Whatever it is you're trying to hide, you're never ready for that moment when the truth gets naked; for anyone _not_ Celia Chávez, deft in secrets and lies, they will have a way of leaking out. Sooner or later, they _will_ be revealed.

 ****GA****

"Did you hear? George has syphilis," Alex causally informed Celia and Meredith randomly. It had the added effect of conjuring a smirk on Celia's face and Meredith hastily tried suppressing her laughter as they picked up their lunch trays and drew near to Cristina, George and Izzie on the table.

Celia merely dipped her head in acknowledgment to Cristina who returned a small smile in gratitude. Even though Celia had enough troubles recently with her returning flashbacks and avoiding Dr. Shepherd all day, she didn't forget even for a moment that Cristina was pregnant. It was none of her business whatsoever, and so she kept her promise and her mouth shut, not breathing a word or even bringing the subject up privately with the Korean intern.

"Hey, George. How are you feeling? Sorry about the syphilis," Meredith smiled weakly the second her tray hit the table. Celia hid a smirk behind her palm as she sat next to Meredith, sandwiched by Alex on the other side.

Alex had grown closer with Celia and Meredith in the past weeks, and the two twisted sisters were the only ones not affected by his crude-cutting remarks at times, and were never victims of his harsh words much to Izzie and George's awed surprise. Cristina and Alex were still warming up, but Celia was assured that they would get there in due time … after all, the four interns were very similar, with a secretive well-dredged past and impeccable masks, hiding their true feelings and emotions behind a cold and rude exterior.

George nearly dropped the sandwich from his hands and began grumbling indignantly, " _Everyone_ in this hospital knows? Alex you _told_ them?"

Alex shrugged and snatched a fry from Celia's plate, smirking when she playfully smacked his hand, "Ah, come on, they'll all know you're a player."

" _You're_ _disturbed_ ," George hissed, leaning forward across the table to stare Alex in the face, horror etched clear as the day for the five interns to see.

"True," Alex shrugged nonchalantly, batting the word away as though it held no meaning to him, " _Everybody's_ got a secret. Just be glad yours is out in the open."

Alex's careless statement caused Celia and Meredith to shift uncomfortably in their seats, and only Alex and Cristina, their fellow twisted companions noticed, and predictably, didn't mention a thing.

That's the problem with secrets. Like misery, they _love_ company.

Cristina smirked playfully and focused her onyx orbs on Alex' hazel ones, "Oh yeah, Alex? What's yours?"

"You show me yours, and I'll show you mine," he winked in retort. Cristina subtly glanced at Dr. Burke, who was passing by at that exact moment, and her fist instinctively clenched; an action that Celia noted and her chocolate orbs widened in comprehension, disbelief and shock.

"What's in my closet is _none_ of your business," Cristina hissed, all playfulness vanished, and she sent Celia a warning glare to keep her mouth shut, positive that the Latina had figured out the identity of her baby daddy.

"What about you Celia?" George innocently asked, and ever the curious one, Izzie perked up in interest.

Celia gave them a blank stare, stabbing a fork onto the plate and shoving a lettuce from her salad into her mouth, before drawling out in an ominous tone, "Now, Georgie, if I told you, then I'd have to kill you." Alex and Meredith smirked; her statement managed to lighten up Cristina's mood.

George shuffled his feet and played with his collar nervously, his brown doe eyes warily fixated on the emotionless Latina intern, "You're scary … you know that, right?" Celia responded with a sinister smirk and a slight glitter to her eyes before taking a huge chunk off her apple and leaning comfortably against her seat.

"Well, I don't have any secrets;" Izzie piped up matter-of-factly, "My life is boring."

Celia scoffed in a mixture of disbelief and cynicism, but much to Izzie's surprise; it wasn't Celia who responded with a sly, smart-ass comment. It was Meredith of all people. " _Everybody's_ got something to hide." Celia, Alex and Cristina nodded in complete communal agreement, ignoring the bewildered and baffled stares, courtesy of George and Izzie.

 _Secrets_ ; they pile up and up until they take over _everything_ , until you don't have room for anything else. Until you're so full of secrets, you feel like you're going to burst.

 ****GA****

"Are you sure you want _me_ to do this for you?" Celia drawled, a sparkle of mischief gleamed her chocolate orbs as she quizzed George in an empty room.

Nervous he was, George nodded compliantly, "You're the only intern I trust to be indifferent about all this. Although you have a cruel and _really_ scary strike, I'm confident enough that you'd be professional about my moment of mortification."

Celia would deny until she had taken her very last breath, that she was deeply touched by George's words and the deep amount of trust he held towards her. She merely flashed him a smirk and grabbed the penicillin. "Alright, Puppy, Drop' em."

Feeling relieved that Celia's creepy impassive mask had returned, he bent over the gurney and pulled down his pants, squinting his eyes shut as he waited for Celia to give him a shot while muttering pitifully, "I cannot believe this, I cannot believe _me_ of all people have _syphilis_."

The door suddenly banged open and a cheerful Meredith sauntered inside just before Celia managed to inject George.

"Meredith, go away!" George whined, unable to include authority in his voice and sounding more like a wounded puppy, prompting the twisted sisters to bite their lips in order to suppress the laughter.

"Oh, come on George. Thought you could use some moral support. You won't be getting any with Celia here," Meredith giggled, seating herself between a mortified George and an amused Celia.

George wiggled slightly on the gurney as he turned to face Meredith, "NO! _No_ , moral support. I'm _indisposed_ here."

" _Oh_ _please_ , if we see something we _haven't_ seen before, we'll throw a dollar at it," Celia casually drawled out, eliciting a squeak of indignation from George, his face reddening in chagrin.

"Yeah, George. It's not a big deal. _And_ you have a cute butt," Meredith chimed in, avoiding eye contact with Celia for fear of losing control of her suppressed laughter. George was torn between mollified and affronted.

"What are we doing here?" Izzie piped up, admitting herself into the room and causing George to groan out in annoyance.

"Breaking George's spirit," George spat out; simultaneously Meredith commented, "Curing George's syph."

"I don't like needles!" George moaned.

Celia rolled her eyes and gave George a shot since he least expected, encouraging a yelp at the suddenness, "Oh Georgie, you're a freaking doctor for crying out loud. _Man up_! Turn now. Other side," she ordered him, just as Cristina's grating tone presented itself to the females congregated around George's bedside.

"Izzie?"

"Yeah?" Izzie whipped around to face Cristina's neutral mask by the doorway.

"Uh, Mr. Franklin's procedure's been scheduled for after lunch," she commented brusquely, her eyes flashing with amusement when she noted George's amplified vexation. "Oh, what are we doing?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"We are saving George from a future of festering sores and insanity," Izzie revealed in hilarity.

"Uh, scusi, but _I_ am the one with a needle near George's tushy, _I'm_ the one saving our damsel here," Celia said in a straightforward demeanor.

"Oh, cute butt," Cristina commented offhandedly. Celia and Izzie snorted while Meredith sang out, "Told ya."

"It is cute, like a baby's," Izzie agreed as Celia muttered that she was done. George wasted no time in hastening to fasten his pants, sending a glare to the four amused female interns, "You know, I have spent hours, days, _years_ , imagining myself half-naked in a room with four women. The reality is _so much better_."

He then stormed out of the room, leaving behind four interns who finally opened up the dam and burst out into large bouts of laughter. "I think he's going to cry," Cristina commented mid-laugh, proceeding in sending them off into another round of uproarious laughter.

 ****GA****

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Celia murmured to herself once the elevator door opened. None other than Derek was standing on the other end, his blue-blue eyes flashing with an unknown emotion when he recognized Celia to be alone in the elevator.

Before Celia could escape the vicinity and take the remaining stairs to her designated destination, Derek ambled inside and pressed the 'close' button, effectively trapping the Latina with him, offering her no means of escapement.

"You've been avoiding me," Derek stated.

"Wow, not even bothering to beat around the bush, huh," Celia drawled, trying her hardest to build up her walls and giving him an emotionless mask. She knew she had succeeded when Derek's eyes notably dimmed out, disappointment evident.

"Celia," Derek sighed, approaching her person. Celia shuffled backwards until her backside was leaning flushed against the wall, "What are you doing to me?" he sighed in defeat, both hands pressed against the wall, her body trapped in between his strong arms with no escape. "You bailed, left me in the middle of the night. When I woke up, and you weren't there, I was-, I felt _empty_ without you, Celia."

"Dr. Shepherd, you are being _inappropriate_ ," Celia groused out in an icy tone, triumphantly causing Derek to flinch as though he had been doused in a bucket of frozen water. "We are _not_ a couple. I have informed you this already, and-… I'm sorry Derek, but I cannot do this anymore."

Derek jolted, his face blanching in shock and surprise when Celia's tone softened exceptionally, dropping all formalities. "Why?" he whispered desperately, "Is it something I did?"

"No, no, it's … personal matters. And … _I'm sorry_. I know you want me to let you in, but _I-I can't_. You're better off without me," Celia whispered, unable to hide the pain and sorrow from her voice. Derek caressed her cheek, smiling slightly when Celia mechanically leaned into his hand, her eyes fluttering close.

"Am I the only one affected here? Celia, I can tell … You like me, just as much as I do," Derek whispered in the same tone level. Chocolate orbs snapped to connect with his abnormally blue ones, and stated in a pain-filled voice, "That's the problem, Derek."

Derek was stumped to the core when he noted Celia's eyes were marginally watering; he had never, in all the months of getting acquainted with the icy and impassive, byzantine Latina beheld her lose composure and allow her emotions to be vividly displayed on her sleeves. Yet here she was; Celia Chávez' mask was cracking and she was beginning to finally let him in.

Before any more heart-felt words could be traded, the elevator dinged open and Bailey's stunned face gaped at them. Celia shoved past Derek, blinked twice to retreat her traitorous tears and coldly spoke out, "Dr. Bailey, sorry for my inappropriate display. It will _not_ happen again," and both surgeons knew that the intern's words were directed to Derek's ears only.

"Dr. Shepherd," Bailey snapped out, eyes glaring daggers into Derek's forehead. He shook his head and sighed sadly, "Please, Dr. Bailey. Not now."

Bailey was stunned, exceedingly astonished if truth be told, that her jaw snapped closed and she merely stepped in and pressed the button to her designated floor. Seems to be trouble in paradise; Bailey may display herself to be an uncaring hard ball, but she cared deeply for her interns … she could tell _visibly_ that Celia Chávez had been ensnared into the incredibly handsome Attending's clutches, and was desperately searching for an escape.

Yet, Derek Shepherd wore his heart on his sleeve. One look at his pained eyes filled with despair and longing, and Miranda Bailey knew; Derek Shepherd, renowned, world-famous, celebrated Neurosurgeon, ' _The Neuro-God'_ , was enamored and deeply in love with the cold, impassive and emotionless intern, Celia Chávez.

 ****GA****

Celia sat between Meredith and Alex, with Cristina sandwiched between Meredith and Izzie, and a nervous George faithfully glued to Izzie's side. The six interns grimaced, staring at Richard Webber, Chief of Surgeon as he loomed over every member working in Seattle Grace, his face etched in a mixture of disappointment, disapproval, pity, incredulity and annoyance.

" _Three_ interns, _four_ residents and _six_ nurses on _this_ surgical floor have been diagnosed with … _syphilis_ ," Richard visibly winced, forced to acknowledge that damned word and glaring when the clueless people oohed in astonishment and interest.

Patricia, the Chief's secretary, cleared her throat and spoke up in a clearly loud and coherent voice as she addressed the mass, "There are over 70,000 cases every year. Undiagnosed, syphilis can lead to blindness, insanity and death."

A perfectly plucked eyebrow rose on Celia's face when she noted Olivia, the nurse staring sadly at George who was adamantly avoiding any eye contact with her; Celia nudged Meredith, who in turn, nudged Cristina, and all three twisted interns' face morphed into recognition; they finally solved the mystery of who infected George. Case Closed.

"IF you are having _unprotected_ sex with another member of the staff, _get_ tested," Richard's annoyed voice boomed over the mass. " _This is NOT a request!_ " A few doctors couldn't help but laugh and the Chief ploughed onwards, "Patricia will now give you a safe-sex demonstration."

"Kill me!" Celia groaned, dropping her head onto an amused Alex' shoulders, "Kill me _now!_ I haven't had to suffer through the sex-talk in all my life. The She-Devil simply threw a book with a video in my face about safe-sex when I was ten."

"Are you serious?" Izzie gaped, torn between the hilarity of the situation and appalled over her mother's actions. Drowning out Patricia's croaky, monotone of clear instructions as she cautiously exhibited placing a condom on a banana, Celia focused on her fellow interns.

"Yup! I've went through a twenty-five year streak of _not_ having to listen to the sex-talk," Celia boasted slightly.

Over by the corner of the room, Derek and Richard were absorbed in a whispered discussion.

"We should try and get down to do the MRI now," Derek hissed, his eyes flickering towards the mass, smiling inwardly when he noted them all to be distracted. Richard shifted uncomfortably, "This isn't really a good time, Derek."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Derek quashed the anger directed toward his boss, and urgently whispered, "If you want to do this without anybody else knowing, you should do it _now_."

Richard's coffee orbs concentrated on his smirking goddaughter, and he sighed, "All right. I'll do it, but only because Celia needs me in her life. However, I don't want her finding out until _after_ the surgery. I don't want her to worry over me like an apprehensive mother hen."

Derek couldn't help but let an amused smirk curl around his lips, "She doesn't seem the type." His blue eyes fixated on said intern, and he couldn't help but let out a bubble of envy when he found her head lying comfortably on Karev's shoulder. Clenching his fists, he ignored the jealous emotions and focused once again on Richard, who was smiling fondly at Celia.

"To everyone else, she seems cold and aloof, _distant_. Only a few lucky ones get to experience the real person Celia Chávez actually is." Richard sighed, staring at Derek solemnly, "Let's go."

Unbeknownst to Chief Richard Webber; his words had a vast impact on the hot-shot Attending, who was falling deeply in love with his intern goddaughter with each passing day. His words only succeeded in speeding up the process.

 ****GA****

"So, uh, Dr. Shepherd," Celia cleared her throat uncomfortably, their previous encounter weighing heavily on her mind.

Shocked, Derek turned and was pleasantly surprised that Celia had been the one to instigate a conversation with him; he couldn't help but feel as though they were making process. Richard's heartfelt and fond words toward Celia only made him determined to worm his way into her heart.

"Yes, _Dr. Chávez_?" Derek asked, amusement pouring into his words.

"Should I be worried? About the syphilis. Should I get tested?" Celia asked in clipped tones.

If possible, Derek's amusement increased tenfold, and he casually leaned against the wall near the MRI room where Richard was currently getting examined, "You think I have syphilis?"

"No, uh, maybe, yes. _Look_ , I don't know. We're not a couple, remember? We didn't agree on monogamy, so here I am, asking to be on the safe side," Celia said bluntly; pretending to ignore the fact that Derek's amusement altered into sadness.

"When would I have time to go out and get syphilis? You're a handful enough as it is, and besides, we're like, practically a condom ad since you're paranoid enough," Derek smirked, hiding his pain behind a cheerful mask.

Celia nodded relief plain on her face. But before she turned to leave, Derek grabbed her wrist gently, "Should I get tested?"

The question was there, deftly hidden behind four causally innocent meaningless words; are you sleeping with someone other than me?

"No, Dr. Shepherd. There is no need to get tested," Celia hurriedly informed him, turning around and walking in the opposite direction, unable to see the joyous relief and immensely happy smile that appeared on Derek's face.

Once Celia had disappeared from his line of vision, he recognized the familiar figure of the dirty blonde intern, and hastened over to her side. "Dr. Grey, how good are you at keeping secrets?"

Meredith perked up, a half-smile evident on her face, "I'm an expert in keeping secrets … _why_?" she asked cautiously, hoping beyond hope that it had nothing to do with Celia.

"The Chief is having surgery. He has a tumor pressed against his optic nerves," Derek whispered in case there were prying ears around them. Meredith stifled a gasp, her face turning quite grave, "He could lose his sight. Why didn't Celia tell me," she murmured the last bit to herself, jumping slightly when Derek responded.

"The Chief doesn't want her to know until after the surgery in case it wasn't a success. I would like you to scrub in with me and keep this information from everyone, _including_ Dr. Chávez. Can you do that?" Derek asked her; Meredith knew that this was a test. As a friend, she wanted nothing more than to locate Celia and inform her. But Dr. Shepherd was asking her as a doctor, as a trusted intern, and Meredith knew that Celia would understand. If the shoe were on the other foot, Celia would do the same.

"I'm in."

 ****GA****

Celia could NOT believe her ears. She never expected, Cristina Yang, of all interns to agree with this half-cocked, idiotic and ridiculous plan.

"What are you doing?" Izzie frowned, glancing at Cristina in worriment due to their friend's odd behavior. Celia was currently scoping the premises, her eyes searching for something neither she, nor Izzie and Cristina could see.

"I'm checking for any candid cameras in the room, because I swear to god, I heard you two _tell me_ that you want to perform an _unauthorized autopsy_. Now, maybe Izzie, yeah, okay, that's your thing, sticking your nose in places where it doesn't belong and possibly terminating your career. But _you_ , Cristina Yang?" Celia's eyes proceeded in flickering toward every corner, "No candid cameras, you two are actually dead serious?!"

"Ha-ha, very funny. I am not amused, Celia," Izzie said dryly, placing her hands on her hips defiantly.

"It wasn't _meant_ to be. You two are insane. No, no, suicidal is the word. This is career suicide, your jobs are on the line," Celia spat out; she would never admit her worriment and concern over those two losing their jobs out loud, she was actually growing fond of them.

From the grateful flash in Cristina's orbs, Celia hadn't been successful, but she ploughed on adamantly, "Not wanting to be the new 007, but an autopsy can clear our names, Mr. Franklin's death strikes me as odd, Celia."

"And what about Mr. Franklin's wife? Cristina you saw the way she was looking at me. She _wants_ the autopsy. She just didn't want to fight with her daughter. She looked so sad," Izzie pouted, trying to convince Celia to help them. Celia was an impressive surgeon for an intern; even as an intern everyone knew that Celia Chávez was skilled and had a 99.9999 % in succeeding, and they needed her on their side.

"I am so _not_ getting involved in this," Celia shook her head stubbornly, folding her arms as though that gesture would bar her from caving.

"Celia, this is Fight Club. _Nobody_ talks about it," Cristina yammered, but when Celia still wasn't convinced, she brought out the big guns, "Okay, look, I hate to admit this, but you're leaving me no choice and we're desperate and if _any of you_ bring this up, I _will_ torture you slowly, and then kill you. But Celia, you are a better surgeon than me, if _anyone_ can pull this off, it's you."

"Please!" Izzie implored her. Celia slowly unfolded her arms; Cristina's admittance really shocked her to the core. In her line of work, Celia never regarded how well she was actually doing, and Cristina's blatant, yet surprising honesty managed to win her over.

She threw her arms in the air in defeat. "Ugh! Fine! But if my career is on the line, I will waste no time in handing you two over to the wolves. Psychological torture you two! You totally played me like a fiddle," Celia ranted in a grumble, ignoring the two beams of success she received from Cristina and Izzie.

"He's not even my damn patient," Celia muttered to herself as the three interns departed the room. "Alright you two, Bailey _cannot_ know! We have to take our chances."

"Meredith told me that Bailey is busy. Has something secretive to do from 7 to 11. So, we won't have to worry about her," Cristina causally informed them with a perplexed shrug.

"Huh, okay, well that makes it easier for us," Izzie commented.

"Uh-uh, there is no _us_ , there is _you two_ and then, there is _me_ _monitoring_ your asses," Celia adamantly groused out, ignoring the simultaneous eye rolls she received in response.

At 7PM, the three interns barricaded themselves in an empty room near the morgue, readying the equipment for the autopsy; Celia stared at Mr. Franklin's corpse with annoyance and abandoned hope, glaring at Cristina and Izzie to begin.

"We stole a body. We're body snatchers. What if somebody from the morgue comes looking for Mr. Franklin," Izzie rambled, her nerves having been delayed only to present itself at the wrong moment.

"Seriously, Blondie! _Now_ you think about the consequences, you are _unbelievable_ ," Celia spat rudely, uncaring if she had hurt Izzie's feelings.

"Okay you two, enough quarrelling amongst yourselves," Cristina snapped. She faced Izzie and bluntly stated, "A, it's in the middle of the night, and B, the thing about being dead, is people _stop_ looking for you." Izzie nodded, her eyes slightly vacant as she squeaked out, "Okay."

"When's the last time any of you did autopsy?" Cristina asked as she prepared to start, noticing Izzie was copying her motion to a T.

"I took gross anatomy just like you. I'm just trying to remember," Izzie snapped defensively. Both their eyes swiveled to Celia's confidant stance yet uninterested expression, silently awaiting her reply.

"Ugh!" Celia stamped her foot in annoyance, "I slept with a pathologist a couple of times when I was attending Dartmouth. Chillax, I will walk you through the steps."

"What has that got to do with anything?" Izzie titled her head in confusion.

Celia rolled her eyes, wisely choosing not to comment on Izzie's idiotic moment, neither did Cristina as she shared an eye roll as well. "Izzie, what is the one thing doctors, surgeons, interns etcetera have in common? They like to brag when they're banging a chick, no matter what field they are in." Celia then muttered to herself, prompting a snort of amusement from Cristina, "Although seriously, him talking about cutting into dead people was a major cock-block."

Izzie gulped and nodded nervously, "Okay then, let's begin." Her eyes widened in incredulity and disbelief when Cristina snatched out a textbook, and she couldn't help but derisively ask, "You brought a textbook?"

Cristina gave her a deadpanned look, "Uh, if we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it right. I'm being thorough here."

"Besides, it's not like you can kill him twice," Celia smirked, buffing her nails onto her chest.

"How compassionate of you," every word that tumbled out of Izzie's mouth oozed heavily with sarcasm and Celia merely shrugged, unaffected as always.

Halfway through the autopsy; surprise, surprise, Bailey barged into the room, her eyes magnifying impressively at two of her interns hands deep into Mr. Franklin's chest while her impassive intern was merely sitting aside, throwing out causal observations and obvious mistakes.

"Don't even tell me you're doing what I think you're doing!" Bailey roared, looking much like an angry mama bear.

"Um…" was Cristina's eloquent reply.

"Okay, they're not doing what you think they're doing," Celia innocently responded, only to be on the receiving end of a deadpanned, 'I am not amused' glare.

"Not _only_ did you disregard the family's wishes, you _broke the law_! You could be arrested for assault! _Do you like jail?_ The hospital could be sued! _I_ could lose _my_ license, _my job_! _I like my job_! Did you _think_ about any of this _before_ you started cutting open a poor man's body? I could seriously kick both of your asses right now. And _you_ ," Bailey suddenly shouted at Celia, "Don't think just because you didn't do any of the cutting, you got yourself a free pass. Do any of you have anything to say?"

Instead of responding verbally, Celia nudged Cristina and Izzie, motioning them to show Bailey what they discovered. Izzie immediately picked up Mr. Franklin's heart from the scales, "Look at his heart?"

As expected, Bailey's eyes widened, resembling tennis balls and she wonderingly breathed out, " _It's huge_!"

"It's _over_ 600 grams, and there's some kind of grainy material in it," Izzie rushed out, her face flushed with the excitement of their discovery.

"We want to run some tests," Cristina informed her neutrally, eyes pleading Bailey to agree.

"Oh, _now_ you want to run tests?" Bailey yelled, forgetting her previous shock.

A throat clearing audibly prompted the resident and two interns to halt in their argument and stare inquisitively at the laidback Latina, who shrugged, "At this point, what could it hurt?"

Cristina and Izzie beamed at the fearless Celia. Bailey grumbled and shot her three interns the nastiest death glare she could muster, "I hate all three of you right now."

 ****GA****

Bailey, Izzie, Cristina and a practically forced and dragged by the ears, Celia were seated in the conference room with Mrs. Franklin and her furious daughter, Alice who was enraged that they had proceeded with the autopsy against orders.

"We _specifically_ said _no_ autopsy," Alice snarled angrily, glaring at the three interns with barely concealed malice.

"I understand why you are upset," Bailey said placatingly.

" _You understand_?" Alice sneered sarcastically, "We're gonna get an attorney. Come on, mom," she snapped, onto her feet in an instant. Mrs. Franklin looked torn between wanting to know how her husband died, and following her daughter, not wanting to upset her even more.

"You know," Celia snapped, raising her volume, surprising everyone in the room who had simply expected her to merely pout and grumble to herself since she was forced to be there. "We may have disregarded your orders, but you can at least be grateful to us."

"Grateful?" Alice sneered, glaring at Celia with hate and anger. Celia ignored Bailey's warning look, silently telling her to shut up, and continued, "If it weren't for the autopsy, you'd probably land yourself into an early yet permanent visit to the morgue."

Alice's anger melted into confusion, and Mrs. Franklin perked up, staring pleadingly at Celia to share their findings. Cristina cleared her throat quickly before a fight could break out, "We know what killed him. He had a blood condition known as hemochromatosis. The disease causes an excess amount of iron to build up in the body, and _that's_ what caused the heart failure, _not_ the paracentesis."

Alice shook her head, slightly in denial as she stuttered out in a weak voice, "But I thought he was always so sick cause of the drinking."

"And you _never_ let him forget it. _Or me_ ," Mrs. Franklin shot out accusingly. Alice shuffled guiltily.

"There's something else. The disease is genetic," Izzie said matter-of-factly, her eyes focused on Alice.

Mrs. Franklin gasped, grabbing Alice's hand worriedly, "You think Alice could have it too?"

"A simple blood test will tell us," Izzie nodded professionally, "If you have it, we'll have caught it early enough to treat it before the condition becomes critical."

"Dr. Stevens, Dr. Yang and Dr. Chávez may have saved your life," Bailey said, her eyes burning into Alice's as she slid the consent forms down the table, in their direction, "If you could just sign this consent form for the autopsy. Just a _formality_."

"Celia," Bailey called after her intern once Mrs. Franklin and Alice departed the conference room. Celia whipped around, staring at her Resident questioningly. "There's something you should know about the Chief …"

 ****GA****

"Uncle Richard! What is this I hear about you having brain surgery, AFTER your surgery?" Celia demanded, her chocolate brown eyes resembling stone as she stared down at her godfather. Derek stifled a chuckle from his spot in the corner at the comical sight of Richard cowering from his raging goddaughter, staring at her as though he were caught in the headlights.

"CeCe, sweetheart –"

"Don't sweetheart me, Uncle Rich! How could you not tell me," Celia growled, standing over his bed, ignoring the empty seat nearby.

Richard sucked in a deep breath before holding out for one of her hands and firmly clasping it in his palm, "CeCe, I didn't want you to worry over me."

"Did it _ever_ cross your mind, what would happen to me if you didn't survive the surgery and I never got to say goodbye?" Celia demanded her voice grave and filled with agony. Derek gazed at her sadly, inwardly wincing at the glaringly obvious pain etched on her face. Richard gaped like a fish, unable to offer her a retort or any words of comfort at his undeniable mistake.

"I'll just see you tomorrow Uncle Rich, goodnight."

Once Celia left, Richard muttered to Derek, "I am in so much trouble."

"What do you mean?" Derek frowned in perplexity. Richard shook his head in sorrow, though his face was grim, "Never cross Celia Chávez. She's scary when she's mad, and when that girl is mad, she gets even."

The Latina intern seethed in barely concealed rage as she stormed her way over to the locker room, only to pause abruptly, her face flickering with utmost surprise at the bombshell taking place inside. George and Alex were attacking each other, throwing punches left and right; George screaming at Alex for giving him syphilis, while the Syph Nurse, Olivia stood nearby with Meredith, Izzie and Cristina, yelling at the two men to back off.

Shutting the door with a loud bang, Celia slammed a hand onto one of the nearby lockers, a resounding metallic sound vibrating through everyone's eardrums, and putting an end to the fight, "What the fucking hell is going on here?! So, Alex gave you syphilis, so fucking what. Syph Nurse here was the one that slept with Alex _without_ protection before tumbling into bed with you, go yell at her George. And you, Alex, just, ugh, go, get!"

Alex and George stared at Celia sheepishly; Olivia glared at her, deeply offended. Celia merely threw her famous death glare, promising torture and the Syph Nurse absconded with her tail tucked between her legs.

"Meet you at Joe's, CeCe?" Meredith called out, receiving a grunt of agreement from Celia who was busy undressing. Once done, Celia exited the locker room, only to bump into Derek who seemed to have been waiting for her by the lobby.

"Dr. Shepherd," Celia dipped her head, her eyes never leaving his, though her voice was chilly.

"Long day?" he asked, the most charming smile flittered across his lips, and despite it all, Celia couldn't help but melt, her knees threatening to buckle. Nodding her head in response, Celia went to bypass him, but just as she thought she had succeeded, Derek called out, "Somewhere out there, there is a steak with your name on it, and _maybe_ a bottle of wine.

"I'm sorry Dr. Shepherd, but everything I told you in the elevator, still stands –"She was cut off by the feel of Derek's soft, plump and delicious lips trapping hers completely, a moan escaping her mouth when his tongue plunged into her mouth, softly caressing every valley, every cavern.

Celia's bag dropped from her hand, bouncing onto the ground with a loud thump and her arms looped around his neck; at the same time, Derek's strong arms snaked around her waist, pulling her flush onto his chest. Celia could feel every ab, every muscle pressing onto her stomach; Derek wanted to ravage her, love her, feel every sliver of skin against his.

An extremely loud and annoyed clearing of a throat reminded them of their surroundings, and Celia quickly unglued herself from Derek, batting away his hands that wouldn't allow her to go. While Celia bent downward to pick her fallen bag and fix her bearings, she didn't notice the way Derek stiffened his demeanor suddenly hostile.

Confusion was the emotion that made itself known to Celia when Derek gave her a somber look, and spoke in a distressed tone, "Celia, I am _so_ sorry."

"Wha-"a frown puckered on her forehead, and she whipped around, curious to see who exactly Derek was staring at with such hatred. An eyebrow rose on its own accord when she found herself facing a stunningly gorgeous redhead with green eyes, her face resembling a high-maintenance movie star.

"Addison," Derek sighed, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible. "What are you doing here?" he ground out, moving forward to stand by a confused Celia's side.

The redhead, _Addison_ smirked contemptuously, and haughtily spoke in a dulcet tone, "Well, you'd know if you'd bothered to return any one of my phone calls." She then flashed a sugary smile to Celia, and she instantly knew that she wouldn't like this redhead the least bit, "Hi. I'm Addison _Shepherd_."

Celia politely shook the offered hand, unable to utter anything but, " _Shepherd_?"

Derek was frozen, like a statue, unable to do or say anything but watch everything he built, all the success and process with Celia, and in gaining her trust, crumble down into a million pieces as Addison's next words tumbled out her mouth, "And _you_ must be the woman who's been screwing my _husband_."

"Husband?" Celia turned so fast, she nearly had whiplash; she glared at Derek before muttering, "Of course, why would I expect any less."

The two Shepherds witnessed the awed sight of Celia's face morphing, lacking any emotions whatsoever, her chocolate brown eyes were suddenly blank and her face was impassive. Nodding at both Shepherds, she uttered no words; Celia Chávez confidently strutted out of the lobby with her head held high as though nothing had occurred, ignoring the baffled Shepherds. She had a bottle of tequila with her name on it, waiting for her at Joe's.

The thing people forget is how good it can feel when you finally set secrets free. Whether good or bad, at least they're out in the open, like it or not. And once your secrets are out in the open, you don't have to hide behind them anymore.

The problem with secrets is even when you think you're in control …

You're not.

Derek's secret has been revealed, but Celia was adamant now more than ever, for hers to stay hidden in the dark, concealed by the shadows, never to be set free without her express permission. … Which is never.

 **A/N:** **I hope this chapter was worth the wait … I made it quite long, so *phew***

 **Addison has arrived FINALLY the action begins. Did you like Celia's reaction?**

 **BTW, just informing my readers, Celia's reaction would be a complete 360 from Meredith's in canon. Keep in mind that Celia has a different personality with a shadier and darker past, not to forget, she wasn't easily swayed into McDreamy's arms and they never dated … so yeah.**

 **Now that we're in Season 2, Meredith's twisty version is near …**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **R &R.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **I couldn't help but have this chapter up soon, because I'm so excited about finally writing Season 2! Hope you enjoy this chapter, and ready yourselves for the many plot twists and changes to come! XD**

 **Chapter10:**

To be a good surgeon, you have to _think_ like a surgeon.

Emotions are messy, so very messy; the number one reason why Celia Chávez avoided them like the plague. But at the current moment, the Latina woman stood in front of Joe's bar, glancing through the window at her twisted sister laughing and drinking without a care in the world … at the moment.

Unfortunately, Celia nearly gave in to her emotions. That was until Addison Shepherd interruptus; the frigid Latina couldn't help but want to bang her head against the wall for nearly breaking her number one rule;

 _Emotions are messy_ ; tuck them neatly away and step into a clean, sterile room where the procedure is simple. _Cut, suture and close_. … But sometimes, you're faced with a cut that _won't_ heal, or _can't_ heal.

A cut that rips it's stiches wide open. … And it all began that night in the very bar Celia Chávez stood right in front of, a few months ago;

" _Death, we have_ _ **a lot**_ _of tequila at home. Screw the bar and let's leave. We start our very first day as an intern tomorrow," Celia hissed, glaring at her best friend and fellow twisted sister in annoyance and exasperation._

 _Meredith smirked at her, green eyes hazy from tequila consumption, "Exactly, CeCe._ _ **Screw**_ _! I need some release before we become all work and no play. Especially you."_

" _Ugh, yeah right. We both know that although we're starting out as interns, we will still make time for_ _ **release**_ _," Celia hissed back. Unfortunately, Meredith's eyes were on a hunk by the back, "Mer, Mer?_ _ **Meredith**_ _!"_

" _See you at home," Meredith called back as she drunkenly sauntered over to the now-smirking hunk._

" _Great," Celia muttered, hitting back her shot of José. Just then, a drink was shoved in front of her, "I didn't order this," she told the bartender dismissively._

" _You didn't, but_ _ **he**_ _did," the kind-looking bartender smiled at her. Celia whipped around and suppressed herself from gaping like a fool. The man was gorgeous, an Adonis lookalike with the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her entire life._

And the rest was history.

"Hey," Celia mumbled, slumping onto the open seat by Meredith and barely sparing eye contact with anyone, "Tequila, straight up."

"Here you go," the familiar bartender, Joe, smiled, "I was just asking your friend here; you both look familiar. You been here before?"

"Once. That worked out _really_ well," Celia drawled sarcastically, hitting back her shot and ordering another. Joe offered her a sympathetic smile, "I know that look. It'll be one of two things. Either your boss is giving you hell or your boyfriend is. Which is it?"

"Kinda both," Celia muttered, ignoring Meredith's gaze burning into the side of her head; Derek wasn't exactly her boyfriend, but he was _a_ guy in her life. "The guy I'm sleeping with turned out to be my boss, which was a problem. But not as big a problem as the fact that the guy I'm sleeping with, who _is_ my boss has a wife."

Joe winced, "Tell you what. This one is on the house," he said, sliding over another shot with a grin. Celia flashed him a wide-smile and nodded in appreciation.

"I'm sorry, _what_ did you just say?" Meredith gaped at her, disbelief shining through her eyes, "Did you just say Derek is _married_? Dr. Shepherd …. McDreamy, he's _married_?" She hissed torn between anger and skepticism.

"Yup! A gorgeous Isabella freakin' Rossellini lookalike with one hell of a bitchy attitude," Celia drawled, smiling humorlessly as George ordered a beer and sat by Meredith's side. Cristina grumbled and sat ungracefully on the stool next to Celia, "What are we talking about?"

"Oh, just playing a game of whose life sucks the most," Meredith answered robotically, her eyes still glued to Celia's emotionless face.

"No, you don't want to play with me," Cristina dismissed her, glaring at her glass of water as though it had personally offender her; in actuality it had … Cristina was forced to drink water because of her … recent condition.

"Celia will win. She almost _always_ wins," Meredith continued as though she hadn't heard Cristina. Celia shook her head, and when she spoke, a tiny bit of sarcasm could be detected, "As flattered as I am, Mer. And as moved I am by your unwavering support over how much my life sucks, I think Cristina would win this round." Cristina was after all, pregnant; Derek may be married, but at least Celia had been trying to keep her distance from his Cheating Attending Ass. Celia would take a cheating bastard over a bun in the oven, any day.

Meredith's eyes widened in shock and she nudged Celia onwards, "Just tell her, CeCe."

"Fine!" Celia stared at Cristina with dull eyes, "Derek's married –"she was interrupted by George choking on his beer, spilling its contents all over his shirt and onto the bar table. Meredith wrinkled her nose and scooched closer to Celia's side while Cristina stared at George in slight revulsion, "George, beer is _dripping_ from your nose."

George blushed madly and ran over to the washroom to clean up.

"Anyways," Meredith said, silently agreeing to ignore George's awkward reaction, "Derek is married. Pigheaded, adulterous, liar _married_. Nothing you could say could top that." Celia winced; knowing that Cristina would spill her secret out just to be able to prove Meredith wrong.

"I'm pregnant. I win," Cristina impassively blurted out, garnering a gaping jaw from Meredith. Celia shook her head sadly, "Both our lives _suck_."

"Wait, you knew?" Meredith blurted out, green eyes widening with every emotion that flittered by; shock, betrayal and confusion.

Celia shrugged, "Psychic patient, Mr. Duff. He kinda blurted it out in front of me. I promised I wouldn't squeal." Meredith nodded, mollified; it was a well-known fact that Celia took secrets and promises seriously, and that she was the best and probably the only person to carry a secret to her grave. If Celia wasn't about to keep a secret she would inform the person; one of Celia's most admirable traits.

At that moment, their view was blocked by Joe as he began groaning and clutching his head tightly, his face twisted in agony; the three interns went to stand and offer him aid, when he suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"Okay, maybe Joe wins," Cristina called out, garnering identical grim expressions from the twisted sisters. Joe adamantly began pulling his weight up as they neared him. "Joe, sit your ass on the ground," Celia snapped; she would never understand why patients tried putting on a brave façade when they were obviously suffering, "You're only gonna make your condition worse."

"The medics are coming," the bar patron informed the three interns, prompting Joe to glare at each one of them as though they had gravely betrayed him, and he spat out, "You called the _gurney patrol_?"

"Yeah, you're right, why on earth would we do that? It's quite normal for perfectly healthy people to drop down onto the floor," Celia snarled sarcastically, keeping a firm hand on his chest, silently warning him not to test his luck and get up. Joe threw her a deadpanned look.

"Sit back and relax. We have to take you to the hospital to run some tests," Meredith said calmly; good cop, bad cop; that described Meredith and Celia to a T.

" _Tests_? I don't _need_ tests. I'm _fine_ ," Joe shouted, trying to bat their hands away from his person and avoiding eye contact with Celia.

Cristina stared at Joe in disbelief, "Dude! You collapsed! _On the floor_. This is _your_ bar; you know how filthy this floor is." Celia couldn't help but let out a chuckle; trust Cristina to always have a bunch of scathing remarks to alleviate the situation, even when she was in a pisspoor mood.

Finally, Joe had had enough of lying on the ground and stubbornly marched his way over to the hospital. Unable to leave him alone in case he collapsed again, George ran after him.

"I don't get why everyone tries avoiding hospitals at all costs," Celia drawled sarcastically.

"I wonder why," Cristina scoffed in amusement, her eyes shining with mirth despite her predicament.

Meredith shrugged, unable to stop herself from joining in the witty batter, "It's not like we kill our patients on purpose."

 ****GA****

"All right. Details. _You're_ _pregnant_? What are you gonna do?" Meredith asked in whispering tones as the three twisted interns walked down the hallway of Seattle Grace.

Cristina rolled her eyes and vehemently said, "Look, you know what happens to pregnant interns. I'm _not_ switching to the vagina squad _or_ spending my life popping zits. I'm too talented. Surgery's my life."

"Amen to that," Celia muttered, nodding in complete agreement with Cristina's assessment. Meredith ploughed onwards, unable to let the subject go so easily, "Which begs the question: _who_ are you sleeping with?"

Celia made sure her eyes were adamantly staring in the opposite direction, just as Cristina nonchalantly gritted out, "Just a guy."

Meredith began grumbling, shaking her head stubbornly, "That's all I get? You can't just bring something like this up and expect me to drop it."

"Ugh, seriously, Mer. Why can't you be like Celia? She instantly dropped the subject and never brought it up, not even _once_ ," Cristina bluntly snapped, onyx eyes flickering from one intern to the other. Celia snorted and gave the Korean intern a pitying glance, "Here's a little pointer Cristina, a little résumé into our lives … I like avoiding my problems, and personally don't really care for other people's drama. Mer on the other hand, likes pushing. She's a pusher; like a closet shrink."

Cristina burst out into a fit of laughter, which only increased when witnessing the gravely insulted glare Meredith shot Celia. Smacking the Latina on the head, Meredith growled in irritation, "I am not! CeCe that is the worst insult you ever threw at me in all our decades of knowing each other."

Izzie had a puzzled frown on her forehead when she noted Celia's presence as the three female interns approached her and George nearby the desk. "Celia, why are you back here tonight? You're usually with McDreamy at this hour."

Celia, Meredith and Cristina's faces instantly melted from its previous laughter to solemnity. Izzie frowned in confusion and risked a glance at a strangely sober George; she innocently asked, "Was it something I said?"

George awkwardly cleared her throat, threw Celia an apologetic glance and hissed, "More like Mc _Married_."

"Mc _What_?" Izzie hissed in retort, her brown eyes widening with disbelief and anger. Celia shrugged and nodded, "Yup, Dr. Shepherd is married. Now you see why I kept my distance from men? All a bunch of traitorous liars. No offense Georgie," she quipped in afterthought.

Izzie squirmed uncomfortably, with a small slice of guilt; it was a common known fact in their group that Izzie had been pushing Celia to commit with McDreamy and spoke harshly behind the Latina's back about hurting and stringing the sexy neurosurgeon along … boy, had she ever been more wrong or what.

One thing is for sure; Isobel Stevens is never going to doubt Celia Chávez again … at least not when it came to men.

Meredith's soft tone cut into Izzie's guilty thoughts, "We came to check on Joe." But before anybody could respond, Derek himself walked over to them, his eyes practically glued onto Celia's figure, "He might need an operation. Hard to tell. Basilar artery's blown up like a balloon. Subarachnoid bleeding. Aneurysm the size of a golf ball." During Derek's deducting speech, his eyes never strayed from Celia who was adamantly ignoring his presence as though he were a pestilence.

George whistled in awe, "No way to clip something like that."

"Not without magic fingers," Cristina added slyly.

"Or a standstill operation," Derek concluded; those four words succeeded in bringing out a maniacal glint into Cristina's onyx eyes, "You're doing a standstill?" she whirled to face her fellow interns, breathing out in awe, "He's doing a standstill operation."

"We heard," Celia said dryly, unimpressed.

Derek's eyes pierced Celia imploringly, begging for any eye contact or traded words. "I'd like to try. First I need some additional patient history, overnight labs, and a cerebral angio," he passed over Joe's chart suggestively to an impassive Celia.

 _Bad move, Dr. Shepherd_ , the Latina inwardly fumed; if he thought handing over an impressive surgery that was practically to _die_ for would change her impression of him, than he was severely _mistaken_.

Without sparing Derek a glance, Celia accepted the chart, but before anyone surrounding her could react, she continued to pass down the chart over to a stupefied and gaping Cristina, "Enjoy the surgery, Cristina." And without another word, she turned her back on the shocked Attending and three frozen interns and walked away.

"Thank you, Celia!" Cristina's glee-filled voice called after her. Derek's face crumbled into grief and guilt and he wasted no time in following after her; unfortunately, Dr. Shepherd was clueless to the unwavering loyalty Bailey's interns held towards one another.

The four interns immediately blocked his path, silently warning him to walk away. Once he departed, Izzie couldn't help but hiss, "McBastard."

 ****GA****

Celia decided to spend the night with her godfather, however, when she went to enter the elevator, a hand gently pulled her backwards, almost forbidding her from taking another step, and the familiar baritone streamed into her eardrums.

"Celia, please. We should discuss this."

Celia whirled around so fast, she risked whiplash, and glared at Derek with as much malice she could muster, inwardly smirking when the neurosurgeon recoiled at the intensity of her glare. "Here's a thought. _NO!_ Quit following me, Dr. Shepherd."

"At least let me explain," he pleaded; he couldn't let her escape, not when he was finally succeeding in cracking her exterior. Celia Chávez had been letting him in her carefully constructed walls after months of endlessly trying, and Addison had to ruin everything with her sudden arrival. He couldn't lose the girl he was beginning to fall hopelessly in love with.

"There's nothing to explain, _Dr. Shepherd_ ," Celia snarled, zero emotion in her face, resembling stone. "But ya know, if you wanted to explain, the time for explanations and clearing out the air was the night we met in the bar. Or you know, forget that … you should have backed off the numerous amounts of times I pushed you away and asked you to maintain professionalism. You should have thought of your _wife_ , but instead you were selfish, _so_ fucking selfish you decided to harm an innocent bystander in the process."

Derek had the audacity to whisper, "I know how you feel. Just let me explain, please."

" _Do you_?" she scoffed in retort. "Funny, because when I endlessly begged you to _leave me alone_ , you never did. So here is me repaying the favor. _No_ , you _cannot explain_." Yanking her arm from Derek's grip, Celia whipped around and stepped into the elevator, "Don't follow me!"

Unfortunately, when the Latina entered her godfather's room, her fists clenched when she discovered Derek's wife laughing uncontrollably with a delighted Richard. Ignoring the glare she was on the receiving end of from the redhead, Celia focused her complete attention on her godfather; her heart swelling at the fond and adoring smile the older man bestowed her.

"What is she doing here?" Addison asked meanly, prompting a bewildered look out of Richard.

"Addison. This is Celia Chávez, she's an intern here and my goddaughter. CeCe, this is an old friend of mine, Addison Montgomery-Shepherd," Richard beamed after the introduction, garnering an expression of utmost shock and disbelief from the bitchy redhead. Celia gave her a sarcastic smile and dryly drawled out, "Pleasure."

"Well, uh, um," Addison quickly shot up to her feet, trying to collect her bearings. She smiled over at Richard, "I'm going to leave you two some privacy and go check on my _husband_."

"Bye, Addie. Think about my offer some more, huh," Richard called after her.Celia glared at her retreating back, recognizing the snub directed at her, but she didn't care; the Latina threw in the towel. Derek Shepherd meant nothing to her; she had closed off all remaining emotions she had been feeling toward the neurosurgeon that nearly succeeded in capturing her heart.

And if there is one thing Celia excelled in, besides surgery, it was perfecting her mask and being a closed-off frigid bitch to anyone that crossed her path. Unknown to the two Shepherds, they have managed to create a monster. Watch out Seattle Grace. … Or perchance, beware Derek and Addison; if they thought the Latina intern was touchable, they were sorely mistaken.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned … In reality; hell hath no fury like Celia Chávez played.

 ****GA****

Alex had a supportive hand curled around Celia's waist; he knew the Latina wouldn't allow herself to show weakness, but the silent comfort was helpful. Meredith had informed Alex privately about Derek's cheating ass and skanky wife that showed up out of the blue, and he wanted nothing more than to destroy the Shepherds for harming his friend.

If it weren't for the Latina woman's silently understanding him, then he would have been the lonely intern with no friends, but because of her pure heart hidden under her bitchy, uncaring and impassive persona, Alex Karev found friendly souls in her, Meredith and shockingly enough, Cristina.

There was no debt to be repaid, but Alex would protect his family with everything he had, and Celia was a sister to him, a dear sister.

"Somebody's popular," Bailey's harsh voice boomed from behind the two interns; her dark orbs flittered confusingly on the supportive arm snaked around the cold intern's waist, but smartly kept her mouth shut.

"Meaning?" Celia retorted icily; Bailey hid her surprise behind her well-crafted Nazi mask. Word around Seattle Grace is that Derek Shepherd was a married man, and it was obvious to the resident that Celia had found out the hard way; reason for her frigidness. Bailey knew nothing good came out of having relationships with your boss, but for Celia's sake, she wasn't about to throw her 'I told you so' in her face.

"There's been a special request, just for you," Bailey retorted; this day was not going to be one of the Latina's best, and the Nazi honestly pitied her.

 ****GA****

"Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Burke," Addison smoothly interjected, smirking mischievously at her furious husband. Burke chuckled, his black orbs gleaming slightly, enjoying Derek's irritation, "You're never interrupting –"

"She's _always_ interrupting," Derek retorted angrily.

Addison merely rolled her eyes and innocently asked, "I was just checking to see if Dr. Burke secured the intern –"But she was unable to finish her sentence as an icy tone that caused shivers to run down her spine, intruded, "Intern you requested? _He did_."

The three Attendings whirled around to stare at an unamused Celia Chávez staring emotionlessly back at them; it was disturbing how excelled the Latina was in keeping a cool exterior and the three Attendings shifted uncomfortably at her intermezzo.

Derek blinked at Addison, unable to form a coherent sentence before staring accusingly at Burke who merely smiled at him in response. Huffing in aggravation, Derek ignored the uncomfortable situation and walked away, shaking his head in the process.

Wordlessly, Addison ordered Celia to follow her to the patient's room and began quizzing her; she desperately wanted to observe Celia Chávez in her element. Of course, Addison had asked around about the Latina her husband was deeply enamored by, and who shockingly turned out to be the Chief's precious goddaughter; all she received in response from the Attendings was that Dr. Chávez was one of the best interns Seattle Grace accepted into their program. However, whenever Addison pursued the lower staff's opinion, their faces morphed into utmost horror, they stuttered undistinguishable words and scuttled away in fright. An action Addison Montgomery-Shepherd found highly curious.

"Define TTS," Addison demanded nonchalantly.

"Twin-twin transfusion syndrome. Conjoined fetal twins connected by blood vessels in the placenta," Celia answered in a monotone; she wasn't about to let the redheaded bitch get the best of her, and she knew there were tougher questions that lay ahead.

Trying to achieve an incorrect question, Addison inwardly smirked, "Meaning?"

" _Meaning_ , one twin gets too much blood, the other too little, endangering the lives of both," Celia shot back, keeping the smugness to a minimum. Addison unsuccessfully tried to hide her stunned astonishment; most interns never knew the answer. Addison, herself, had answered the question incorrectly years back when she was an intern in New York.

"They told me there wasn't much chance anything could be done," the patient, Julie, intervened, interrupting the battle of wits between Attending and Intern.

Addison gave Julie a comforting smile and placed an elegant hand on her shoulder, "TTS is usually impossible to correct. Unless you happen to be one of a handful of surgeons in the world who knows how to separate fetal blood vessels. Which, luckily for you, _I am_. So were gonna get you into surgery tomorrow. If you have any questions at all please ask Dr. Chávez. From what I have seen, she is one of the hospital's most _popular_ interns," she quipped, garnering a death glare from said intern.

Giving Julie a forced smile, Celia followed Addison out, "Look, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd. You want to be tough on me and insult me behind deftly designed compliments then be my guest. But I'm going to tell you what I constantly informed your husband; I would prefer we maintain a professional relationship. But make no mistake, if you attack me, then I'll retaliate harder, boss or not," she hissed.

Addison smirked, choosing to ignore the intern's threat, "Chin up, Chávez. I'm this tough on everyone, not just the women my husband sleeps with. Order an ultrasound for her and pre-ops labs in full."

Readying Julie for an ultrasound, the Latina ignored the judgmental glare the patient was giving her; she didn't need this. If anyone where to blame here, it was Derek.

"What does it take to go after another woman's husband?" Julie asked bluntly. Not deeming a proper response, the Latina merely raised an eyebrow in question. "It happened to me. Jeff moved in with a long-legged miniskirt who answers his phones, three weeks into my pregnancy," she suddenly winced, "By the way, that gel is really cold."

"Sorry, it's supposed to be," Celia dismissively informed her.

Julie gave her a sharp glare, "Are you sorry that you slept with Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd's husband."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Celia gave the patient a deadpanned look and bluntly said, "No. _But_ I think the question your pejorative self should be asking, is whether or not Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd's _husband_ is sorry for lying to me about his marital status." Taking pride in the incredulous look of disbelief that flittered across Julie's face, the Latina smoothly continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go check on your labs."

 ****GA****

"Can you believe it? Julie, my TTS patient is judging me. She basically called me a dirty mistress because her husband cheated on her with his secretary," Celia ranted in the on-call room while Alex and Cristina sat obediently, giving her their full attention.

"Judgmental bitch," Cristina scoffed supportively, "You've nothing to be ashamed of. McDreamy's at fault here." Alex yanked the pacing Latina to his side, and placed a supportive hand around her waist, "Sit down, you're making us dizzy."

Celia carried on ranting as though the other two hadn't said a word, "And then, get this, Montgomery has the nerve, the _audacity_ , to make an underhanded remark about me 'From what I have seen, she is one of the hospital's most popular interns.' Fuck her!"

"Ignore her, Celia. She-Shepherd just wants to rattle you," Alex soothingly told her.

"Evil Spawn is right," Cristina piped up, sitting on Celia's other side, "McDreamy cheated on her with you, she's feeling threatened and so, she's try to hackle you. It doesn't hurt the fact that you're an intern and she's your boss –"

"You're sleeping with _Burke_!" Meredith's voice boomed as the door slammed shut behind her. "All this time, you've been doling out warnings about interns sleeping with their bosses, like Celia here, and you're doing the same."

"It's not the same," Cristina retorted. Poor Alex, he was the only one out of the loop and had been gaping at Cristina in shock ever since Meredith bluntly blurted out her secret.

"Enough you two –"

Meredith interjected Celia's attempt at peacemaking, "And of course you knew. I hate your stupid vault, with all the stupid secrets piling up!" she groaned, slumping on the ground by Alex's feet.

"Am I the only person kept in the dark here?" Alex muttered.

"Cliff notes version; you already know about me and Dr. McAss who ended up being married. Cristina here began casually hooking up with Burke, and I found out 'cause I'm that good," Celia shrugged, deciding to forgo mentioning the secret bun heating up in the oven.

Alex snorted, "Great; anything else I should be aware of?"

The twisted sisters gave Cristina a subtle glance; the pregnant intern seemed to be pondering over something, weighing the pros and cons; Evil Spawn wasn't bad once Celia located his inner personality, he actually defended his friends fervently and the four interns found comradeship with each other. If the twisted sisters trusted him, then she would too.

"I'm pregnant with Burke's kid," Cristina said bluntly, enjoying the shell-shocked and stunned expression that announced itself on Alex's face. "Good to know," he squeaked, "Uh, so all this stays between us, right?"

"Definitely," the three female interns chanted in unison.

Alex dragged a weary hand over his face, "You chicks have a lot of drama."

"Tell us about it," they retorted in sync once again.

 ****GA****

"When I found out about the miniskirt, I called her up and took her to lunch. It was perfectly civil," Julie blabbed indifferently, not caring that she was grating on Celia's last nerves, "I said I didn't hold it against her, that these things happened. But really? I just wanted to put a face on the bitch that got my husband to throw away 15 years of marriage."

"Uh-huh, excuse me," Celia drawled, barely sparing her a glance; the Latina was all for respecting her patients, and treating them with the best bedside manners, but if a patient insulted her then the cards were off the table.

Grabbing Julie's tests, she stalked down the hospital searching for a specific redhead, grimacing internally when she spotted her conversing with Derek. "Dr. Shepherd?" she icily called out.

"Yes," both Shepherds answered her.

Chocolate orbs bored in to green orbs, and she professionally spoke, "Labs confirm what look like abnormalities on the ultrasound. I think you should come and see for yourself."

"Fine. Let's go," Addison nodded nonchalantly.

"Celia. _Celia_ ," Derek called after her. Celia rolled her eyes and walked alongside the shocked redhead, exterior blank, and eyes adamantly locked ahead.

"You're ignoring him …" Addison trailed off; the hidden question was included: 'why are you ignoring him?'

"Shouldn't I be?" Celia retorted rudely, "Contrary to popular belief, resembling Adonis doesn't give anyone a free pass to fuck around with people's emotions. Dr. Shepherd and I weren't dating, but one thing I despise is cheaters and liars. He chose to hide the fact that he was married. Make no mistake, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, I don't care how gorgeous a man is. He played me, chased me around and didn't respect me, so why should I forgive him? Because any woman would take him back in a heartbeat, not wanting to lose their chance with him?" Celia drawled out the unspoken yet implied question, "Let them, good for them. I'm not like most women."

"No, no you're not," Addison muttered under her breath, too low for the Latina to hear; Damnit! She really didn't want to like the Latina intern. Addison actually found herself respecting Celia Chávez.

They trekked the remaining distance to Julie's room in mutual silence, and once they stood before the nervous mother, Addison gave Celia permission to inform the patient about their discovery.

Pointing at her ultrasound, Celia deftly began explaining how her bilateral pleural effusion with evidence of subQ edema, but was rudely interrupted by Julie growling at her to speak English.

Stepping forward, Addison took over, "We've detected what looks like beginning heart failure in the twins. Don't be alarmed," she quickly informed her, once Julie's face morphed into fear and horror.

"Are my babies gonna be ok?" Julie wailed, clutching onto her womb in a protective stance.

"I'm gonna go ahead and take you into surgery now. We're not gonna wait," Addison's long hair whipped around with the forceful speed she took in facing Celia, "Book the OR. _Move_."

 ****GA****

Julie's surgery was a success. The mother of twins sat with a shit-eating grin examining the small scar Addison was showing her of the successful surgery while Celia stood in a corner, counting the seconds until this horrible day would end and was off the redhead's service.

"How are my babies?" Julie asked, unable to convey the worry from her tone.

Addison flashed her a genuine smile, "Your babies are doing very well. And Dr. Chávez will be back to check on you a little bit later."

Both, the Attending and the Intern turned to leave, but their footsteps halted when Julie called after their retreating backs, "Actually, I'd prefer it if Dr. Chávez were taken off the case."

Addison shot Celia a bewildered look, silently asking why, but the Latina intern had a cold mask hiding her fuming anger. Turning around for a response, the Attending asked, "Why, is there a problem?"

Julie shrugged, throwing Celia a nasty look, "She just reminds me of someone I don't like very much. Someone my husband likes a lot. Particularly in _lingerie_. You understand."

"No, no, I _don't_ understand," Addison retorted, shaking her head; but deep down, inside, her innards churned in comprehension where Julie was going with her statement, and she couldn't help but admire Chávez' restraint for barely reacting to Julie's insinuation.

"Well, she's sleeping with your husband, right?"

"Ms. Philips," Addison said sternly, taking a few cautious steps forward, "I lack Dr. Chávez' class and patience so, let me set the record straight. My husband _didn't_ cheat on me, _I_ cheated on _him_. So the wronged woman here, _Dr. Chávez_. So, I think you owe her one _hell_ of an apology."

 _Damn_ , Celia thought as she departed the room, _she really didn't want to like her._

 ****GA****

"Celia! Please, just, _wait_ -, just let me explain," Derek called after her as she was leaving the hospital.

Sighing loudly, the Latina intern decided that the best course of action would be for Derek to clear the air, and then maybe he would get the hint and leave her be. Motioning toward the empty bench in front of the hospital they both made themselves comfortable, and Celia surprised Derek by uttering the first words.

"I heard your wife was the one who cheated on you," she said, showing zero emotion.

Derek nodded, his eyes pained as he looked far off in the distance, recalling the specific night that wrecked his marriage. Taking a deep breath, Derek spilled his guts, "One night I parked my car, I unlock my front door, go inside my house, and something's different. Nothing's different, everything's the same, but yet, _still_ , something's _different_. And I stand there for a while. And then I know."

Derek finally turned to face Celia, grief, guilt and sorrow shining in his abnormally blue eyes, and she found herself captured by the intensity of all the emotions swirling inside, "See there are moments for me, you know, usually when I'm in the OR, when I just _know_ what's gonna happen next. So, I go upstairs. As I'm walking down the hall, I'm trying to prepare myself for what I'm gonna see when I go into my bedroom. I step on a man's jacket that doesn't belong to me. And everything I think I know, just _shifts_. Because the jacket that doesn't belong to me, is a jacket that I recognize. And what I know now is that when I go into my bedroom, I'm not just gonna see my wife is cheating on me. I'm gonna see that my wife is cheating on me with _Mark_ , who happened to be my _best friend_. It's just so pedestrian, common and dirty, and cruel. Mostly just cruel. I left, came out here."

And although Derek was pained by recalling the horrid, haunting memory that changed his life, that lost him his wife and best friend, he couldn't help but be pleased and feel a smidge of hope when he noted Celia's mask crumbling into horror.

Unknown to Derek however, Celia's mind was roaming around the endless possibilities; imagining Meredith ever doing such a vile action toward her was unconceivable, even her thoughts never allowed itself to stray there too far, because Death and CeCe survived plenty; the twisted sisters were survivors, best friends and sisters; they had been family ever since their happy childhood when Uncle Richard innocently introduced them to each other. Meredith, and in turn, Celia, would never damage their relationship in such a cruel way, and for a man? _Forget it_.

Celia pitied Derek; she pitied him for his choice in a best friend and the lack of loyalty.

But also, she pitied Mark; how insecure, how twisted and messed up was he, to ruin a friendship in such a despicable and degraded way. What thoughts reverberated around his head to strike the final blow in ending a brotherhood between Derek and a marriage between Addison?

Clearing her thoughts, Celia focused on the neurosurgeon that managed to capture her cold and bitter heart, "And you met me…"

"And I met you," he parroted, a fond and adoring smile filled with so many positive emotions pointed toward her person.

"What was I to you? The girl you screwed to get over being screwed? The chase?" Celia asked, masking her insecurity deftly and perchance coming out a bit too strong.

Derek fervently shook his head, blue eyes glittering with hope, "You were like … coming up for fresh air. It's like, I was drowning and you saved me, even with your icy temper and impassive personality and harsh words. That's all I know."

They say practice makes you perfect. Theory is, the more you think like a surgeon, the more you become one, the better you get at remaining neutral, clinical.

Cut, suture, close; that was Celia's motto for hiding emotions, for thinking like a surgeon. Because, _emotions are messy_. … And the harder it becomes to turn it off and remember what it means to think like a human being. … Celia would never allow that.

"Look Dr. Shepherd, I'm sorry. For what Addison and Mark did to you, really _I am_. You don't deserve what happened to you," Celia slowly spoke, clearing her head and ignoring the hope that rose on Derek's facial expression, "But … But, it doesn't change your actions toward me. It doesn't magically make everything okay. From the very first day, I constantly informed you that we should remain professional, that sleeping together was a mistake and that I don't date my bosses or anyone really. You ignored my wishes, and continued chasing after me."

Celia stood up to leave, but before she did, she risked a glance over her shoulder to stare at the forlorn Adonis lookalike, "You got screwed over big time and in return, you retaliated by screwing _me_ over. I cannot condone that, or forgive you. I'm sorry."

The Latina Intern left behind a confidant Neurosurgeon with a god complex to pick up the pieces of his broken heart, all by his lonesome.

 ****GA****

"The clinic has a policy," Cristina stated in a monotone, joining Celia, Meredith and Alex who were drowning their sorrows by the bar. "They wouldn't let me confirm my appointment unless I designated an emergency contact person. Someone to be there, just in case, and to help me home, you know, _after_ ," Cristina grimaced, unable to utter the word abortion out loud. "Anyway, I put all three of your names down. That's why I only allowed you three to know about my pregnancy. Celia and Meredith you two are my 'persons', Alex, you're Evil Spawn, but I trust you, you're my weirdly male 'person' too."

"We are?" the three flabbergasted interns droned out in sync, faces etched in a mixture of disbelief and flattery. Cristina Yang wasn't the warm and cuddly type of person.

"Yeah, you are. Whatever. Let's not make a big deal out of it," Cristina snapped, trying to alleviate the awkwardness between them.

"Whatever," Celia smiled; simultaneously, Meredith said, "Okay," and Alex smirked.

After a few moments of tranquility, Cristina blurted out, "He dumped me," her face morphed into genuine sadness, betraying her real feelings towards the Attending.

Alex imitated his previous actions towards a hurt Celia and placed an arm around her waist, as Celia hugged her from the other side and Meredith laid a hand over hers.

"You realize this constitutes hugging you three," Cristina snapped with no bite.

"Shut up," Meredith grumbled good-naturedly, "We're your 'persons'."

 **A/N:** **I couldn't help but permanently add Alex Karev into the fold. In canon it was Cristina & Meredith; here they are not only joined by Celia but Alex too. I found it odd that they didn't recognize Alex's mask until later on in the show and added him in early. I mean, he is twisted with a dark past just like them.**

 **The four interns are like the mean team and will always stick together through thick and thin; I hope you liked the changes.**

 **Tell me, did you like Celia's reaction towards Derek and Addison? She doesn't forgive easily, that's for sure ;)**

 **R &R.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter11:**

So, Meredith has an aunt who, whenever she poured anything for you, would say, " _Say when_." She would say, " _Say when_ ," and of course, we never did. Personally, I found Aunt Enid to be completely bonkers, but hey … that's my opinion.

"It's not us, especially _you two_! It's _them_. _Them and their stupid boy penises_ ," Meredith said in an irritated fashion, her green eyes flickering from Celia to Cristina who were both lying on the bathroom floor, enjoying the peace until, that is, Meredith began insulting Derek and Burke on their behalf.

"Hey!" Alex snapped from beside her; yup, Alex agreed to join in on the supposedly pep-talk to get Celia and Cristina off the floor, unfortunately it turned out to be men-bashing. Meredith raised an eyebrow, silently telling him 'you know I'm right.' "Come on Alex, Shepherd didn't tell CeCe he had a wife, and Burke gave Cristina _absolutely_ NO warning that he was going to break up with her."

Celia groaned, snapping one eye open to glare at her, "Mer, for the love of _all_ that is holy, shut up about Derek! I'm over it."

Meredith and Alex traded baffled looks. Turning to face Celia, Alex asked, "Then why did Mer call me telling me that she needed my help since you two barricaded yourselves in the bathroom?"

Leaning up on her elbows to calmly stare at both of them, Celia said, "For _Cristina_! Her baby daddy dumped her … _duh_! What else?" Meredith and Alex squirmed sheepishly, "Oh."

"It's not that Burke _broke up_ with me. It's _how_ he broke up with me," Cristina finally spoke up from her spot on the ground, "Like it was business. Like it was a _business transaction_ , like, he's the boss of me!" The other three gave her a deadpanned stare and in sync, countered, "He _is_ the boss of you."

Ignoring the way her three persons stated an annoying fact to her, the Asian woman waved her hand dismissively and groaned, "And what's worse is that _I care_." Suddenly, Celia moaned and crawled over to the open toilet, her head facing the contents inside, "I'm gonna throw up again." Just as Alex rushed over and held her hair away from her face, she shook her head, "No, wait. False alarm. But thanks, Alex."

"Look, the problem is estrogen," Cristina stated; Meredith instantly rebutted her claim, "Na-uh, the problem is tequila," she said with a pointed glare at Celia who gasped in offense, "Hey! Don't diss José. José is the only constant in our lives, Mer. José would _never_ abandon us." Alex snorted in amusement and gathered Celia into his arms allowing her to lay her head in the crook of his shoulder, willing away the remnant feeling of vertigo.

Cristina nodded, "Celia has a point. You know, I used to be _all business_ , and then _he_ goes and gets me pregnant!" she huffed toward the end.

"With the stupid boy penis," Meredith insisted as a reminder, garnering a glare from Alex who snapped, yet again, "Can we _stop_ with all the boy penis bashing?"

"Yeah Mer, Alex is a completely different criteria of boy penises," Celia giggled, her voice a bit muffled as she snuggled her face deeper into Alex's neck. Alex playfully nudged her, bringing back the vertigo tenfold and eliciting a pained groan from her as she swatted him lightly, "Don't move me, Alex!" she whined.

Shaking her head in slight amusement at the usually frigid Latina, Cristina vehemently continued where she had left off, "Now, I'm having hormone surges. _He_ _ruined me_. _I'm ruined!_ He turned me into this fat, stupid, pregnant girl. _Who cares! Estrogen!_ "

"You're not fat … _yet_ ," Alex supplied innocently, but a small smirk curled against his lips, especially when Cristina threw him a death glare. The door suddenly opened presenting a visibly shocked Izzie and George, particularly when they noticed Alex in the middle of an estrogen sandwich.

"Penises. Penises, Izzie!" Meredith yelled out, causing her to recoil backward, stupefied. Shaking his head, George muttered that he didn't want to know as he grabbed his toothbrush and began brushing his teeth, adamantly ignoring the pity-fest in the bathroom. Unfortunately, poor George jumped when Cristina suddenly barked, "Estrogen, George!"

Turning around to face Izzie and sighing, George sighed, "I know I'm going to regret this, but, what did I miss?" Izzie proceeded to pour some water into a glass that Cristina held out and said, "I came home to full on vomit drama. Apparently Celia dumped Derek and _her_ ," Izzie sounded scandalized and surprised; "She's been sleeping with _Burke_. Can you believe it?!"

"I knew that," George shrugged, eliciting a loud gasp of betrayal from Izzie; simultaneously, Celia peeked out from Alex's neck and snapped, "I didn't _dump_ Derek! We were _never_ going out for me to dump him, Blondie!"

Unbeknownst to Aunt Enid, we never say 'when' because there's something about the possibility of more … something tantalizing, egging us on, curious to the unknown.

George raised an eyebrow at Celia, his face drawn in confusion, "So, then if you were never dating Shepherd, why did you get drunk?"

"Because, _Georgie_ , I was supposed to be smarter than that. Just 'cause we weren't dating doesn't mean I don't feel like a fool. He's _married_ for crying out loud! I've never been in a situation like this, and the bastard kept pushing and pushing for more and for me to open up to him, while all this time, he had a dirty skeleton in his closet! A dirty skeleton in the shape of his _wife_!" Celia ranted angrily.

More tequila. More love. More sex. More _anything_. _More_ is better.

 ****GA****

"Oh, you have _got_ to be _kidding_ me," Celia groaned lowly as she slammed the passenger door of the car shut. George, Izzie and Cristina slowly got out of the car after her while Alex stood by her side, glaring at Derek who had obviously been waiting for her. Before Derek managed to open his mouth, Celia snapped, "Stop!"

"What?" Derek asked innocently, ignoring the horde of angry interns glaring at him with equal distaste. Shoving past him, she snarled, "You're stalking me. Stop it! I said everything I had to say to you last night."

"Come on, I bared my soul to you last night," Derek pleaded her, his blue-blue eyes beseeching her to forgive him. Whirling around to face him, Celia's face was the epitome of frigidness, chocolate brown eyes hardening with ice, "It's not enough. Even though we were _never_ dating, I would have never accepted sleeping around with you if I knew you were married, marital amnesia or not. But you waited _two months_ to tell me and I had to find out by her showing up mid-kiss. I'm a sink with an open drain, _Dr. Shepherd_ , anything you say runs right out. So, instead of wasting your time trying to convince me into entering something we never had before, _don't!_ Your time would be better spent fixing things with _your wife_."

The Latina intern didn't allow him to come up with a retort. She walked away, safely sandwiched between Alex and Meredith with Cristina, George and Izzie trailing behind in solidarity.

"She probably could have picked another metaphor," George mumbled to Izzie on their way to the locker room, unable to say more as Celia smacked him atop the head, giving him a 'shut up' glare.

Once the six interns donned on their scrubs in silence, they darted over to the ambulance bay to stand by Bailey's side, awaiting the patients of the day.

"Male, 55, victim of a head-on collision. GCS is 3. Depressed skull fracture. Multiple internal injuries. ACLS protocol started, but his vein blew so we've been pushing meds down the tube. PEA on arrival," the male medic began droning out in a rush. Bailey charged over to the medic's side with her interns not far behind, "How long has he been down?"

"We've been doing CPR for about twenty minutes. It took fire twenty minutes to get him out of the car. He's pretty much gone," the medic grimaced, staring down at the comatose man in pity.

Bailey adamantly shook her head, "Uh, he's not coding until we say he's gone. Keep coding," she demanded, entering the hospital, she whipped around to face George, "O'Malley, get him into a bay and save him."

Blinking, George gaped, his eyes flickering from the obviously dead patient to his strict Resident, "But he's dead." The blaring wail of a second ambulance made its appearance from outside; Bailey snapped harshly at George, sparing him a no-nonsense look, "Did you not hear me? He's not dead until we say he's dead. You know what to do, so do it," dark brown eyes flickering over to Meredith, she barked, "Grey, you're on this too. Chávez, Yang, Karev, Stevens, follow me. _Move_."

Leaving the two baffled interns with the dead guy, the four interns followed the Nazi back to the ambulance bay as another medic began his report, "We've got three more victims from the other car people, coming in. Let's move people!"

"Male, 46, unrestrained driver of the car that jumped lanes. BP 80 over palp. Tachycardic. Last pulse 1:38. Got two liters of LR running wide open. Significant abdominal tenderness," a third male medic barked out.

"Any history?" Bailey asked urgently

"Uh, wife says he's got a bad liver. He's on the, ah transplant list," he answered.

"Abdomen's rigid," Bailey sighed. She directed her next words to her four interns, "We need to page Burke and Domner. Prep this guy for the O.R. Who wants him?" Rapidly, the four interns began shooting off their mouths, frantically claiming him. "Uh, too late. Stevens, take it," Bailey decided, rolling her eyes at Izzie's cheer of victory as she rolled the patient away. "Karev, Chávez, take this boy. Yang, you take the mom."

Celia and Alex made a beeline to the young boy while Cristina rushed over to the mother; as the three interns wheeled their patient inside, Bailey's voice boomed behind their retreating backs, "I want to be looking at their films in fifteen minutes!"

 ****GA****

"Okay, stop it," Derek sighed in annoyance; Richard Webber was really starting to be a pain in his ass since he wasn't allowing him to check him over, fidgeting continuously on the bed. "Just sit still, Richard, and this will be over soon."

"How can I hold still when you're _poking_ me," Richard retorted.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Derek willed away the snappish retort that threatened to burst out and calmingly said, "I _have_ to poke you to _discharge_ you."

"What makes you think he wants to be discharged?" a deep feminine voice snapped from the doorway. Derek and Richard's eyes widened, recognition flashing in their eyes. "Derek, don't you know that this hospital will crumble unless Richard's here holding up the walls?"

"Adele, you're supposed to be in the Virgin Islands," the words slowly yet unsurely tumbled out of Richard's mouth as his wife approached his bedside.

"Oh you are in five kinds of trouble, Mr. Man," and although she looked furious, she smiled fondly at him and bent down to kiss his cheek, "You had _brain surgery_ and you didn't tell me?"

Fumbling nervously with a loose thread of the blanket, Richard stuttered out in a would-be casual voice, "It's just a small procedure." Adele glared at him, her breasts rising as she inhaled a deep breath, "It was _brain surgery_!"

"I didn't want to ruin your vacation," he answered softly, trying to mollify her; Adele's anger was known to be destructive, and he didn't want to poke the lion. Fuming, Adele placed both hands firmly on her hips and retorted, "You don't know what a vacation is. How would you know how to ruin it?"

"Well, anyway-"Richard halted his next words to spare his wife a look of utter confusion, "How did you find-"once again, he was unable to finish a coherent sentence, hit by a brainwave. He glared up at Derek accusingly, "You _called_ my wife?"

Startled, Derek looked up from the chart he had been busying himself with by writing in, "I wish I did since you had called mine, but sadly no, I cannot take praise for that."

"But then who did-"Richard was unable to ponder who the mysterious perpetrator could be as the familiar musical timbre of his goddaughter filled the room, "Aunt Adele, you came!" Beaming, Celia ran over, allowing Adele to embrace her in a suffocating mama bear hug. Derek could be seen opening and closing his mouth like a fish, rubbing his eyes in shock at seeing Celia offer a truly genuine smile and squeal of excitement, an action and emotion he had never thought the frigid Latina was capable of.

"Celia! _You_ called Adele? _Why_?" Richard demanded, incapable of sparing his beloved goddaughter who looked so excited for once with his fiercest glare. Smirking in success, Celia gave him an unimpressed look and said, "Call it me repaying the favor for not informing me you were having brain surgery."

Groaning, Richard spared a defeated glance at the now amused neurosurgeon, "What did I tell you? When she's mad, she gets even." Derek snorted, unable to suppress his laughter for long at the caught in the cookie jar demeanor the Chief of Surgeon was giving his wife and goddaughter.

The familiar voice that grated on Celia's nerves filled the room, announcing her presence, "I thought I saw a fabulous looking woman walk by." Adele spared her old friend a wide smile, removing her arms from Celia and throwing her a hug, "Addison! Yes see _, I told Richard_ , I _knew_ you and Derek would get back together!"

It was like suddenly being doused with ice cold water; Celia, Derek and Addison shifted nervously, the old married couple unaware of the awkward and stifling tension that emanated around the room. Thankfully, before Celia could come up with an excuse to escape the premises, her pager began to beep, prompting every occupant of the room to look her way.

"Uncle Rich, Aunt Adele, I gotta run. Got a patient in need of an X-Ray, Alex can't cover for me from Bailey's warpath much longer." Bending down to give her godfather a kiss and then embracing her aunt in a hug, Celia left the room without another word.

 ****GA****

"My mom's ok, right?" Scott, the young victim from the accident asked Alex fretfully, just as Celia joined Alex's side, sparing him a mute thank you with her eyes. "They'd been fighting at breakfast. Dad, it's _ugly_ when it gets like that. He ran three stop lights before we even got on the freeway," he continued, avoiding eye contact with the two interns.

The two interns knew that Scott needed to get everything off his chest, and so, they mutually decided to stay silent as he adamantly carried on, "Some guy in a pickup cuts us off, and my Dad just _lost it_. He started chasing the guy, blasting through traffic and screaming at him," he shook his desolately, "The next thing I know, we're upside down on the other side of the freeway. My dad, he's-"

"He's in surgery. It's pretty serious," Alex informed him gently.

A snort escaped Scott's lips, and the next words that tumbled out of his mouth, caused the two interns to stare at him in bewildered alarm, "Yeah? Well. I guess the son of a bitch got what he deserved."

The atmosphere was somber after Scott's devastating words; Celia and Alex hastened to X-Ray him. Once they returned their distressed patient into his room, they hurried over to Bailey's side and showed her the X-Ray films, along with Cristina who joined them in the nick of time.

Bailey began lifting the films into the air, squinting at the results, while Alex instigated his reportage, "Scott Seibert, 18. No fractures or internal bleeding. Got pretty lucky."

"Recommendation?" Bailey asked without looking at them. Celia cleared her throat, and stated, "Keep overnight for observation." Bailey nodded in approval and snatched Cristina's X-Ray films, but once she switched on the light screen, a harsh gasp escaped her, _"Damn!"_

"Lea Seibert, 43. Multiple head fractures on her clavicle and humerus. Third and fourth rib," Cristina commented.

"She's either a bull rider or she's abused," Bailey stated, glaring at the film.

"Definitely abused," the words came out of Celia's mouth matter-of-factly, before she could prevent them, garnering baffled looks from Bailey, Alex and Cristina.

"What makes you so sure?" Bailey crossed her arms and threw the Latina a suspicious look. Huffing, she glared at the film and said, "For one, she doesn't seem to be the appropriate age or form for a bull rider. Also, Scott said the accident was road rage. Mr. Seibert obviously has anger issues and once he got cut off in traffic, he went ballistic. The answer is kind of glaring at us in the face."

Cristina scoffed, directing the attention firmly on her, "Oh, that's not the story I got," pulling another X-Ray film, she handed it over to Bailey and continued, "She has a large yellowing bruise over her right kidney. Tender to palpitation. Said she got it from a fall last week. She's bleeding." Three disbelieving scoffs followed the end of Cristina's speech.

"Perinephric hematoma," Bailey stated. "What do you do?"

"It should take care of itself. We'll keep an eye on it. She needs, _ah_ , bed rest and a shrink," Cristina obediently replied, grimacing at the word 'shrink'. Meredith was next to join the X-Ray congregation, holding up her own films and confirming, "It's drugs."

"Stupid," Bailey sneered, taking the film and adding it to the already lit up screen, " _Stupid_ , _stupid_. One burst and he's dead in five minutes. Okay what do we do?" she questioned Meredith.

While Bailey, Meredith and Cristina discussed the treatment for the drug patient, Mr. Hubble, Celia nudged Alex, frowning unsurely at the films. Titling their heads to the side, they squinted their eyes at the weirdly shaped multiple balloons that could _not_ be drugs.

"-Yang, Chávez, Karev you're in. I need all the hands I can get." Alex halted their footsteps as they went to leave, Celia firmly standing by his side, "Are you sure they're balloons?"

Striding over to Alex and Celia's side, Bailey snapped, "You have reason to believe they're _not_ balloons?" In response, Celia mutely pointed her index onto the screen and said, "This one has got a face." Meredith and Cristina rushed over to their side as Bailey dimmed the light, gaping in realization that her two interns were correct in their assessment.

Each balloon had a facial structure, creeping the hell out of Celia who was grimacing at the film in distaste; multiple stone faces staring right at you was wayyy creepy all right.

Open-mouthed, Meredith hesitantly pointed at another 'balloon', "So does that one."

Dumbfounded looks were being traded by the four interns and lone Resident; "They all do," Cristina gasped in a mixture of astonishment and revulsion. Bailey staggered slightly backward, eyes widening in recognition and she crowed out, "I'll be damned. They're Judys."

Cristina blinked one, two, three times, before deadpanning, " _Judys_?"

"Huh. He swallowed the heads of _ten_ Judy dolls," Bailey groused out in awe. Simultaneously, the four dark and twisted interns chanted out, "Ewww!"

 ****GA****

After the shocking and revolting discovery of Mr. Hubble having a sick kick in swallowing the heads of porcelain dolls, the four interns congregated by the nurse's station waiting for him to be prepped for the surgery Bailey insisted they all scrub in on. Celia and Cristina were swiveling around in their respective chairs, Alex was standing nearby looking over a chart and Meredith was hastening to put a file away.

"You know," Cristina was the first to speak up, ceasing to spin her chair as she focused on her three disturbed persons, "My mother used to buy me Judy dolls. Manhattan Judy, Surfer Judy, Disco Judy," ticking down a finger for each Judy doll she listed off. "I dissected them. Cut off their arms, shaved their heads."

"How lovely," Celia drawled off sarcastically; but the two interns noticed the fond smile traded between Celia and Meredith. Knowing that the two interns would inform them the reason behind their smile in their own time, Alex bluntly said, "Sounds like there's a sick and twisted story behind this."

"No, they're sexist, distorted devil toys that create unrealistic image expectations carrying to the porn driven minds of men," Cristina blatantly stated in aggravation.

"Woah, who pissed on your Cheerios, Cristina," Celia snorted, taken aback by her view on Judy Dolls. Before she could retort, Bailey popped up from behind, "You swallow a bitter pill this morning, Yang? They're dolls. Grey, call for a psych consult. Then see if he has family. Karev, Chávez go check on your patient, if we're moving on with the surgery, I'll give you a page."

 ****GA****

Fucking crappity CRAP.

So, Mr. Wife Beater needs a liver transplant, and poor Scott might be the only quick match that could be offered before he crashes. Celia did not envy the poor boy's current predicament, and from the look on Alex's face, neither did he.

"It has to be today?" Scott asked Izzie, adamantly staring at the opposite direction.

Izzie nodded pityingly, "He won't make it off the table with his own liver. He's bleeding _a lot_."

"When you get counseling they tell you not to force it," Scott bluntly interjected Blondie's pity tirade, "The decision, you know. One day, one moment you just _know_ the right thing to do. It should be easy, right? He's my father."

Both Alex and Izzie stared pointedly at the Latina, knowing that she always had the perfect words of wisdom to dole out in situations such as these. Unfortunately for them, they were on their own as Celia looked to be deeply engrossed in her own thoughts, barely sparing them any attention.

"Uh, well it's a … it's a tough operation. It'll be a big change in your life," Alex pushed down his bewilderment and grasped his words out of thin air, hoping it would be enough to comfort the young boy.

Adding in her two cents, Izzie smiled gently at him, "The upside is that the liver is the only organ that regenerates itself." Alex gave her an annoyed glare, but she merely ploughed onwards with her words, "I mean, they'll only take half of yours and it'll be back to normal size in two months. You probably won't be running any marathons any time soon but-"

Alex harshly grabbed Izzie's arm, "Dr. Stevens, can I see you outside for a moment?" As the bewildered blonde and angry Alex stepped outside, Scott stared thoughtfully at Celia, "Hey, are you … okay?"

Startled out of her chaotic reverie, the Latina gave him a forced smile, "Peachy. I gotta, uh, when Dr. Karev comes back, tell him, I had uh, something to- something to do." The Latina darted out of the room in haste, leaving behind a confused Scott.

Searching for an empty room to wallow in self-pity, the Latina was unsuccessful as she found her path blockaded by none other than Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, the _last_ person other than Derek that she wanted to see at this current moment.

"I assumed he told you why he left me?" came the flippant comment from the redhead. This really _wasn't_ the freaking time; annoyed, Celia halted in her footsteps and glared at the damn Rossellini lookalike, "Dr. Shepherd, with _all due respect_ , this has _nothing_ to do with me."

But when she went to storm away, she gritted her teeth upon noticing that Addison was stubbornly following her like a freakin' lapdog, "Really? So you didn't take him back. Humph, good girl."

" _That's it_!" Celia snarled, shocking the redheaded Attending when the Latina glared at her with fire burning in her eyes, "You think my life revolves around you and your husband? I've got shit to deal with, my past, my present, my future goals. I have a shitload of pressure on my person, and I have no time to deal with your crappy marriage problems. Do you want to know what the first thing I learned when I began med school? Keep your private problems _OUT_ of the hospital. Now, I'm really, _really_ trying to do that. Just because you're a freaking Attending who succeeded internship and residency and is currently a renowned surgeon, doesn't give you a free fucking pass, _Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd_. Let me tell you the same thing I told your husband; in the future I'd appreciate it if we could keep our relationship _strictly_ professional!"

Swallowing harshly, the Attending tried her hardest not to recoil in fear and shock as she stared at the enraged Latina. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd would be lying if she said Dr. Chávez didn't hit a nerve with her speech, and she knew that the frigid Latina had finally reached her limit with the two Shepherds harping on her any chance they got.

Staring at Celia Chávez' retreating back, Addison couldn't help but feel a sliver of concern; what caused the Latina intern to act like a ticking time-bomb?

 ****GA****

Bailey recommended all the interns to scrub in on Mr. Hubble's surgery; each doctor had a look of repulsion as they began popping out Judy Dolls from his innards.

"I think it's something to do with his mother. Maybe she always wanted a girl and gave him Judy dolls for his birthday presents," Izzie said, taking a wild guess. Meredith started squeezing a Judy doll head from the intestines, " _Uh_!"

"Maybe his mother looked like Judy and he's into voodoo. Instead of sticking pins in, he gobbles them up," Alex smirked, garnering snorts from Celia, Meredith and Cristina.

"Because that's not disturbing," Celia murmured from his left. Just as a black doll head with an afro was popped out of his intestine, Meredith crowed out in excitement, " _Black Judy_. She came with 'go-go' boots and a leather jacket. It was a collector's item … _what_?" Meredith blurted out at seeing the bewildered looks from everyone but Celia pointed at her direction.

"Uh, well, I just, _we_ didn't strike you as the doll type," Cristina bravely responded, "I mean, how can you identify these dolls by their heads?"

To their shock, Celia of all people was the one who nonchalantly replied, "My, uh, my … my father was obsessed with keeping Meredith and my innocence; he, um, he'd always shower us with girly presents, mostly Judy dolls since our mothers never bothered."

Silence met Celia's pained confession; it was glaringly clear to all occupants in the room that the Latina was putting on a brave front with her emotionless mask. Meredith shot her a supportive smile from her right as Bailey cleared her throat, she recalled overhearing Celia mention her father was dead a while back and decided to spare the Latina any awkwardness and the following curious questions that might fill the room, "Yang, unlike you, I have a liking toward Judy Dolls. The only problem I have with Judy Dolls are that they are in the bowel of this man."

At that moment, Burke entered the O.R, his eyes attached to the back of Bailey's figure, "Bailey, I need an intern in the ER to meet the harvest donor." Bailey waved over at George to go, prompting a look of relief from the puppy-eyed intern. "You good here?" he asked.

"Couple more heads to go," Bailey called out.

Nodding, Burke pointedly stared at the four interns, "Then Karev, Chávez, Yang, Stevens scrub out. I need to get an answer from Seibert's son."

The Latina deftly hid her grimace behind her impassive mask; she'd have preferred to stick with the creepy Judy-swallowing patient instead of confronting Scott with Alex. Unfortunately, she was at the bottom of the food chain, and orders were orders; like she told Addison not long ago: keep your private affairs out of the workplace.

 ****GA****

Alex was wheeling Scott out of his room with a wheelchair while Celia trailed slightly behind them; they decided to take him for a peaceful stroll, allowing him to be alone with his thoughts over what his next course of action would be.

"What if he goes back to hitting her?" Scott suddenly asked in a small voice.

"You can't make that call. Whatever you do you can't make the decision on anger," Alex advised him, wishing that Celia would snap out her reverie and take over in the advice section.

"Alex! Celia!" Izzie called from behind them, rushing over to their side and panting harshly, clutching a stich on her side and slightly out of breath, "You shouldn't be out here. Dr. Burke needs a –"

"Can you just back off? _Please_?" Alex interjected, warning her with his eyes. Sighing, she nodded and stood off to the side, giving them privacy as Alex knelt down and stared softly into Scott's eyes, "My anger had a life of its own. I bulked up, became a wrestler and the next time my father laid a hand on my mother, I beat the living crap out of him. When he got out of the hospital, he took off. Just _took off_ and never came back. He was a cold, mean tempered bastard, but he was still my old man you know? But now, now I can't stop wishing I never laid a hand on him. Wish somehow that I worked it through."

As Alex finished his heart-warming speech, Scott trembled slightly, still unsure if he should donate his kidneys to his abusive father. Tears began falling down his face, his hands rattling the wheelchair when soft hands halted their movement and he looked up in shock to see the female intern who barely spoke to him or even looked at him gazing down at him sadly.

"Growing up, my dad was my entire world, you know? He was my role model and my personal superhero, so I won't lie and tell you I know what you're going through right now," Scott nodded in comprehension, waiting for the Latina to collect her painful thoughts, "He protected me, spoiled me _constantly_ , read me bedtime stories and fueled my imagination. He promised me that he would never leave me and always be there to catch me when I fall … then one day, I was sitting with him at work, pretending to be oblivious, like I didn't know he was on the phone with my godfather planning my 'surprise' birthday party, and then next thing I knew, he was bleeding profusely, and died in my arms." Scott, Alex and Izzie gaped at her gravely, none of them having expected those words to come out of her mouth and unable to utter a word.

Forcing a smile, Celia let out a humorless chuckle, "I hated him. _So much_. I hated that he lied, I hated that he died, I hated that he broke his promise to me and I hated that he left me. But most of all, I hated myself for being unable to protect him, or save him. We take things for granted Scott, and we don't know what we had, until they're gone. So when I say the choice is up to you. _It's up to you and you alone._ Don't allow yourself to be coerced into doing this out of guilt, _especially_ by your mother. But make sure; make sure that you won't ever regret your choice in the end. Be it a week, or a year or even a decade from now."

Scott's blue eyes stared soulfully into her hardened chocolate orbs and a few seconds later, he nodded in determination, squeezing her hand in gratitude. A shell-shocked Alex wheeled his chair over to a tearful Izzie.

"I'll do it," Scott said softly.

Celia glared at Alex and especially Izzie, "I'd appreciate it if you don't speak a word to _anyone_!"

"Yes, of course I won't. I swear," Izzie choked out, harshly wiping away the fallen tears. Alex merely grimaced and nodded, and together, the three interns wheeled Scott into the hospital.

"Scotty. Scotty," Lea wailed out; Alex wheeled him over to his mother's side before stepping back to stand by Celia.

"Yeah okay. I want to do," Scott answered the unspoken question softly.

"Oh, thank god," Lea whispered in relief.

"Let's get him to pre-op," Burke barked out, "I'll call the sur-"

"I have a couple of conditions," Scott interrupted, his eyes firmly planted on his mother, "You're gonna tell the cops the truth about what happened in this accident mom. And as soon as we get back home, you and I are moving out. _Enough is enough._ "

"Atta go champ," Celia whispered proudly, sharing a smile with an equally happy Alex.

 ****GA****

"CeCe, what, _hey_ , _hey_ , what's wrong?" Richard asked upon seeing his distraught goddaughter.

Mutely, Celia shook her head and jumped into the bed, cuddling to his side. Knowing that Celia would admit what was bothering her in her own time, Richard stroked her hair in a familiar soothing motion that only he and her father ever provided her with before.

"I miss dad," Celia whispered, her eyes remarkably dry. Richard let out a painful sigh; the Chief could not remember the last time he ever witnessed Celia cry before.

Kissing the crown of her head chastely, Richard murmured, "I miss him too, CeCe. I miss him too."

There's something to be said about a glass half full, about knowing when to say when; in all honesty, it's probably a floating line, a barometer of need and desire … it's entirely up to the individual and depends on what's being poured.

Sometimes all we want is a taste… even if it is a taste of the forbidden fruit; a taste of wallowing in despair; a taste of the loss of a loved one, or a could be love of your life.

Other times, there's no such thing as enough. The glass is bottomless, and all we want is more.

 **A/N:** **Did you like this chapter?**

 **I wanted to stress upon Celia, Meredith, Cristina and Alex' newfound friendship and support system; also, I gave you a small insight to Celia's past … believe me, there is a lot more Celia is hiding; the Latina has many skeletons in her closet.**

 **Totally enjoyed the Addison/Celia confrontation! XD**

 **R &R.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter12:**

Multiple thumping on the door abruptly awoke the Latina woman who was currently lying naked in bed with a dark-haired, green-eyed, and deviously handsome stranger.

 _Knock, Knock, Knock. Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock, Knock._

"Celia, up! We're taking Cristina out for a jog. _Endorphins_ ," Meredith's chirpy – yet horridly annoying to the Latina – voice rang around the room from outside. Groaning; through bleary eyes, Celia managed to throw a terrifying glare over at her door; the glare could have easily set the door aflame. Turning around to face whoever she brought back with her last night, she gave the man a half-smile, "Hey, Jeff was it? You need to leave, but thanks for last night."

"Uh, it's Jake!"

"Whatever!"

Surgeons are control freaks. With a scalpel in your hand, you feel unstoppable. There's no fear, there's no pain. You're ten feet tall and bullet proof.

"Tell me again, WHY I _had_ to jog with you?" Celia grumbled through pants of breath.

Meredith huffed at her, "Stop being a baby, CeCe. It is already a very wide-known fact that you jog nearly every day, you fitness freak."

"Woah, hold up, Death. First of all, I'm no fitness freak, it's a habit I was unfortunate enough to pick up from the She-Devil and you know it. And secondly, I don't jog when I have a hangover!" Celia ranted, her face was blotchy from the heat and her hands were waving around manically while she uttered each word.

Cristina glared at the two fighting best friends, and decided enough was enough, "Both of you shut up! You're both stupid," she groaned, clutching her stomach slightly, "Oh God. You're stupid, evil, sadist and I wanna kill you."

"It was Mer's idea," Celia blurted, raising her hands innocently into the air. Meredith whipped her head, her expression drawn in self-righteousness, "Endorphins are _good_. _Endorphins_ are mood elevators. This is supposed to make you feel better."

"Why'd you get the slutty mistress, then? I heard she enjoyed the night tumbling with some random dude she picked up," Cristina bluntly spat out. Meredith groaned, smacking her forehead in irritation; Celia gaped at the Korean before grounding out, "Watch who you call slutty mistress, you pregnant whore."

There was silence in the air as the three twisted women all stared at one another with variant emotions hidden behind their eyes, before they all burst out laughing in sync, dropping onto the ground and lying on the grass staring at the clouds. Cristina was the first to break the newly created silence.

"Sleeping with our bosses was a great idea."

"Speak for yourselves," Meredith muttered.

Peaking an eye at her sister, Celia matter-of-factly stated, "Give it a while Mer, you'll board the train soon enough."

"I sure hope not!" Meredith gasped in mock-scandal.

A moan filled the air, followed by an indignant ranter, "You know what's ruined for me? Coronary artery by-pass grafts … and aortic aneurysms. _God_ I used to _love_ aortic aneurysms."

"Have you cried yet?" Meredith blurted out, eliciting wide-eyed incredulous stares and agape jaws from the Korean and the Latina respectively, "Alright fine, dumb question."

Examining the cloud in the formation of a sheep, Cristina blinked a couple of times before speaking in a low, yet unsure mutter, "Do you think we'll feel better if we cry?… You know, like, just, _let it out_?"

"Probably, yeah," Meredith nodded vehemently; simultaneously, Celia scoffed out, " _No_." Cristina shot the Latina a questioning glance, having noticed Meredith's exasperated sigh about that certain topic. Clarifying her previous statement, Celia stated in a solid tone, "I don't cry. Crying is not my style."

All perfection … firmness, beliefs … all that beautiful control, just falls to crap.

And you better hope that there is somebody there to catch you when you finally fall apart … IF you're unfortunate enough to finally fall apart.

 ****GA****

"Uncle Richard!"

Richard Webber, Chief of Surgery stared somewhat fearfully at his angry goddaughter who appeared in his line of vision looking severely cross with her arms folded together, and he couldn't help but recoil slightly, knowing that he was about to receive a huge tongue-thrashing from the outraged Latina.

"CeCe, don't-don't you have, uh, rounds?" Richard stammered, managing to keep his posture firm and confident, even though he was flinching deep inside. Giving him a meaningful glare, Celia spoke up, "Well, you see. When Auntie Adele called me, informing me that my godfather, you know, the one who had barely recovered from _brain surgery_ left the house early to go to the hospital, Bailey excused me for a while so that I can yell at your sorry behind. Uncle Rich, you shouldn't be here!"

Celia desperately kept her mouth from twitching at the ridiculous hat her godfather wore, in an obvious yet comical attempt to hide his stiches, and kept her scary, intimidating façade to the maximum, lest he relaxed in her presence.

The Chief of Surgery winced, recognizing her tone for being the calm before the storm and stubbornly pressed the elevator button, smiling genially at the pissed off intern. "Oh, come on, CeCe. I won't tire myself out, I'll stay in my office … all day," he tried coercing her, but to no avail, she wouldn't budge as the elevator opened and the Latina followed him inside, a heated glare plastered onto her visage.

"Nice hat." Celia groaned inwardly at the smooth, sexy baritone voice that could melt butter; of course, Derek Shepherd HAD to be the lone person in the elevator. Unlike the Latina however, the neurosurgeon had no qualms in hiding his amusement. Thankfully, he recovered from the comical sight and fixed the Chief with a stern glare, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going back to work," Richard kept his eyes focused on the closed elevator door, ignoring the fact that the two doctors on either side were staring him down in a mixture of exasperation and disapproval.

"You're not cleared for surgery," Derek pointed out, noting in amusement how a glimmer of triumph flashed across the Latina's angry face. "Uncle Rich, don't make me bring Auntie Adele out here! I'll do it, you know I would," she threatened him, a dosage of warning seeping through her words.

"Leave me alone," Richard sighed, his attention meaningfully fixed on his goddaughter, "I've been sitting home for a week watching Oprah giving away things on TV," when Celia winced in revolting pity, especially when he stressed out, " _Oprah_ , CeCe!"

Derek arched an eyebrow at the knowing expression on the Latina. "Okay, I pity you. I do. I mean, Auntie Adele can be brutal with her idolizing Oprah on an altar, but still, you can go fishing, travel, take a break, Uncle Rich," Celia stated solemnly, hiding her smirk deftly.

Ignoring Celia's suggestions, Richard whipped around to face Derek, trying to appear as menacing as possible, "You clear me now or I'll hurt you."

"Empty threat," Celia coughed into her hand, prompting an entertained glance from Derek. "If you want me to clear you so soon, maybe you should've thought about that _before_ you gave chief to Burke AND invited Satan to Seattle," Derek huffed out pointedly.

"Satan?" Richard's brows knitted in confusion just as the elevator opened and lo and behold, Celia's _favorite_ person entered; "Good morning," she sang, "Richard, like the hat."

"Satan speaks," Derek snarled, making sure to throw a hateful glare at the redhead, who merely smirked and flippantly commented, "Actually, I prefer to be called ruler of all that is evil. But I will answer to Satan." Smiling over at Celia, "Hello, Dr. Chávez."

Gritting her teeth, Celia faked sincerity and smiled, "Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd. Oh, look, my floor." Before the Latina departed the awkward and stifling atmosphere, she glared threateningly at Richard who quailed slightly, "Uncle Rich, if I see you so much as holding a scalpel, I'll call Auntie Adele."

As the elevator door closed behind her, Addison couldn't help but quip, "I like her."

" _Why_ are you still here?" Derek growled, the pang in his heart hitting tenfold once the intern left his side without bothering to spare him a glance or even a look of recognition; Addison ruined things with him and Celia, and he'd be damned if he'll allow the Latina to walk away from his life, not now … now that he found somebody to brighten up his gloomy day, give meaning to his routinely life and help him breathe the wonderful breath of fresh air.

 ****GA****

"So, Alex … Izzie?" Celia arched an eyebrow in amusement, yet the question was vividly there in her chocolate brown eyes. Alex shrugged, "We're … hanging out. Don't make a big deal out of it."

The interns halted as they gathered around Kelly Roche's room. Bailey gave Celia a pointed stare, silently informing her to speak up; "Kelly Roche. She's 23 years old. In for a scheduled ETS for treatment of her erythrophobia hyperpyrexia."

"Erythrophobia?" Izzie whispered obliviously to Cristina.

"Blushing," the Korean responded without missing a beat.

Bailey gave Kelly a gentle smile, "You have any questions about the procedure?"

Almost instantly, Kelly's pale face heated up with a fiercely crimson blush, "Oh. Dr. Sh …" she madly fanned her face, embarrassed at the blush, "Dr. Shepherd explained everything. He was very … huh … helpful. He gave me some literat-," she fanned her face harder than before, "… sorry…"

"Don't be," Alex smirked, brushing away her discomfiture as though it were an irksome fly, "Half the patients that come here have the hots for Shepherd."

Celia rolled her eyes; of course Alex _had_ to comment about that. At least he didn't pile her in with the rest of his adoring, stuttering fans. Bailey gave Alex a disproving glare, " _Dr. Karev_!"

"What … it's true," Alex shrugged nonchalantly, subtly smirking at the irked Latina.

"Hmph," Bailey grunted, "You and Chávez are in charge of Miss Roche. Now get to it."

Leaving the room, the Latina hissed angrily to Alex, "Great. Now I get to spend the day working for Dr. Shepherd. Yay me!" Alex's cocky demeanor evaporated instantly and he placed a supportive hand over her shoulder, "Don't worry, Celia. You got me-"

Whatever Alex was about to say, he was interrupted by the angry blonde who ceased her pacing and growled at him, "Hey, why do you do that? Why do you act like an ass when everybody but me is around? They hate you enough as it is."

Celia grabbed Izzie's wrist harshly, not allowing the blonde any personal space, "Watch it Blondie! Me, Mer and Cristina like Alex the way he is. If you want to hang around Alex, then you better get used to accepting him the way he is! And by the way … George is the only person that dislikes him."

"But he's rude and-"

"And he's Alex!" Celia hissed, her eyes flaring with rage, "If you befriended him just to change him, then back off. Alex is MY friend, and I'll be damned if you turn him into some pet-project experiment."

A fond smile flittered on Alex's face, but before anyone could respond to the Latina's fury, Bailey's voice boomed over them in a rush, "Hey, there's a new surgical case coming up from the pit. Likely diverticulitis. Let's go!"

The six interns hurried alongside their resident down to the pit, however, _both_ Celia _and_ Meredith froze, halting their footsteps and stiffening in a mutual horrifying shock when the familiar stern voice they had heard over a thousand times before, filtered the air and attacked their hearing.

" _Watch it_! Hands off me! I could report you to the chief and you'd be out on your ass. Where is the chief?!"

Celia grabbed Meredith's arm and pulled her protectively to her side, noticing that her twisted sister was trembling, her green eyes bulging in terror at the incensed woman who was being pushed around in the gurney.

"Patient's name is … _ah_ …"Cristina trailed off, her eyes narrowing in on the two frozen interns, mouth dry unable to utter a word at the revelation of who exactly this patient was.

"Where is the chief? _You're all amateurs_ ," the woman shouted violently, familiar green eyes glaring at the befuddled doctors surrounding her.

Cristina sucked in a deep breath, and the Latina knew that if Meredith wasn't drowning in a terrified trance, she would be thankful for the Korean's adamant postponing the inevitable, "Complaining of intermittent cramping pain and diarrhea. Also suffers from … ah …"

" _AMATEURS!"_ the woman shrieked; Meredith tried backing away from the patient's line of vision, but Celia wouldn't allow her. Keeping a supportive arm around her best friend, the Latina began murmuring soothing words into her ear.

"Alzheimer's," Cristina breathed out sorrowfully, and once again, she held eye contact with the two interns who adamantly kept their distance.

"Patient's name?" Bailey barked, busy trying to calm the volatile and frustrated patient down. When the intern didn't respond, the resident finally tore her eyes away from the patient and glared at Cristina, "Yang! Patient's name!"

But before the truth came out, the patient noticed the trembling green-eyed intern, "What the hell are you doing here?" Her voice began increasing in volume, sounding more enraged than previously, "Haven't I told? How many times have I told you not to bother me when I'm at work?!"

All eyes were on the two wide-eyed and gaping interns, and Cristina finally blurted out, "Ellis Grey."

"Meredith's mother," George gasped.

Well, the cat's out of the bag now …

 ****GA****

A well-deserved break had fallen into Celia's lap, and she clutched the chance for a breather with both hands, escaping Kelly Roche's room to seek out Death, who had been given a surgery-free day, courtesy of the Nazi.

Bless their resident; the good intention was there, and she made an exceptional point, stating that Meredith was in no fit condition to be administering patients and scrubbing in on surgeries with her sick mother in the hospital … the end-result wouldn't be good for the patients or her state of mind if she ended up killing one accidentally. The Latina however, understood that Meredith needed something to occupy her time and her whirring mind, being so close to Ellis Grey was intimidating, and yes, Celia spoke of herself as well.

Locating Meredith peeking into Ellis' room, trying to look inconspicuous as she observed George tending to the stern and volatile woman, Celia cautiously approached her side. No words needed to be traded; the two best friends merely looped arms and stood in a tranquil silence.

"Who's Thatcher?" was the first thing that emanated eloquently from George's mouth once he left the room and joined the duo in their spying. Both interns whipped around to face the docile intern, both faces morphed in astonishment.

After a long pause where George shifted uncomfortably awaiting the response, Meredith breathed out, "My dad. Thatcher … what did she … is she … is she talking about him?" she stammered.

"She _never_ talks about him," Celia added, her chocolate brown eyes focused intently on the angry mother of her sister; Thatcher Grey ended up divorcing the hardened, hardcore and renowned surgeon, and ever since then, Ellis never once uttered his name … until now.

"I can't be here," Meredith's voice trembled, green orbs imploring chocolate ones, knowing for sure that Celia always knew the right thing to say, and the only person who could control her when she was in one of her moods, mostly a recipient of her mother's ire.

"Go, Death. If her condition changes, either me or George will call on you at once," Celia soothed her. Watching her best friend's retreating back, Celia could only think of how Ellis Grey sure did a number on her.

 ****GA****

"H&H are stable. Chest X-Rays show no acute pressure," Alex was informing Derek just as Celia entered Kelly's room. Derek's eyes immediately roamed the Latina's face, blue eyes sparkling in concern.

"Good. You're ready to go?" Derek asked Kelly once he found the strength to tear his eyes away from the gorgeous yet frigid intern.

"Are you kidding?" Kelly giggled, "I've been ready since the third grade."

"Did you read the literature I gave you?" with a nod from Kelly, Derek smiled and carried on, "You understand the possible side-effects?"

"Compensatory sweating of the back, abdomen, thighs and legs. Possible gustatory sweating. Horner's syndrome occurs in less than 1% of patients. Brachial plexus injury. Pneumothorax and hemothorax are highly unlikely but possible side effects of the surgery," Kelly reiterated off the bat, her voice firm and never wavering, not even a smidge as the list increased in size.

Alex and Celia traded gobsmacked stares, unable to comprehend why one would go through that much risk to cease their incessant blushing; Derek chuckled kindly, "You did your homework. Dr. Karev, take her to pre-op. I'll alert the O.R. Dr. Chávez, a word."

Alex looked like he dearly wanted to butt in, but one warning stare from Celia had him back up into the corner, his hazel eyes following Derek's retreating back in anger.

"Yes, Dr. Shepherd?" Celia instantly asked once they stepped out of the patient's room, "Is there something you need from me?"

Her words only achieved in receiving a concerned yet pitied glance in her direction from the Adonis neurosurgeon, "No. I just, I wanted to ask how you're feeling… with Ellis Grey, I-"

"While the sentiment is appreciated, Dr. Shepherd, you seem to be misplacing concern in this situation. Ellis is _Meredith's_ mother. You should check up on her emotional distress and not mine," Celia blithely stated, eyes staring unimpressively into sorrowed blues.

"Yes, but I, uh, I heard you grew up with Dr. Grey, therefore you must have been close with her mother," Derek didn't allow himself to be intimidated by the cold glare he found himself to be in the receiving end of.

"Thank you, but again, misplaced concern. Mer and I were childhood friends, you are correct in that assessment, _Dr. Shepherd,_ but she was closer with my mother, not –"

"Celia!" George called out, uncaring about the conversation he was currently interrupting in his frantic and desperate state, "Sorry Dr. Shepherd, but Celia, I need your help."

"What is it?" Celia couldn't erase the concern from leaking out of her voice, knowing that George was the intern in charge of Ellis. Derek scowled at the interruption, yet he too glanced at George, but in curiosity.

"She won't let me touch her," George ground out, his puppy brown eyes beseeching her imploringly, "She seems to think I'm Thatcher and she won't let me touch her."

A smirk couldn't help but form on her face, "Ya know, Puppy. You do kind of resemble him."

George's face transformed into one of horror mixed with mortification and he stammered out, "I look like Meredith's dad?"

Suppressing the laughter that threatened to burst, Celia grabbed George's hand, ignoring the envious glare that made itself welcome onto Derek's face and said, "You so owe me for this, Bambi. Let's go."

Derek's eyes trailed the hand of the woman he was falling for as it kept a strong grip on the frantic and stuttering intern. Leaning against the wall, Derek pinched the bridge of his nose, his face one of desolation as his thoughts reverberated around the Latina intern who succeeded in capturing his heart.

Unbeknownst to him, a fiery redhead watched the whole scene occur, and she sighed in resolution … she would not be leaving Seattle without her husband, no matter what.

 ****GA****

"Ellis Grey, I'm Dr. Chávez, I'm here to give you a regular standard check-up," Celia stated as she confidently walked into the room with George trailing behind her.

The cold, emotionless Latina was blind toward the unexpected response. Both interns watched in barely concealed shock as the furious woman perked up in haste, green eyes glittering in delight when her eyes connected with the cold ones of Celia.

"Sophie? What on earth are you doing here dressed in scrubs?" Ellis crooned, "Are you helping Antonio out with a patient?" causally throwing out her long, dearly departed father's name so glibly rendered the Latina speechless, and Celia found herself at a loss of words, unable to verbalize an articulate reply.

"Celia?" George murmured, doe-eyes flickering from the joyful Ellis to the unresponsive Celia.

" _Celia_? How is that rug-rat of yours? Still playing around with my daughter? Those two are so adamant in becoming doctors it's hilarious," Ellis chuckled rudely; and although George was offended for Celia's sake, the Latina barely batted an eyelash … there was a reason why many compared Ellis Grey and Sophie Chamberlain to one another. Both were bitchy, harsh and crude mothers without a care in the world whose pastime was beating their daughter's confidence down.

"Yes, yes, Ellis. An-, uhm, my husband wanted me to check your vitals. May I?" George gaped at the detachedness of the Latina and watched in awed horror as Celia flippantly answered Ellis' scathing remarks while listening to her heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Once done, the Latina departed the room without a second glance and George found himself unable to reel his words in any longer, "What the hell was that?" He then recoiled at the emotionless stare he received in response.

"That, George, was the outcome of having two bitchy mothers undeserving of raising children of their own. Next time you want to complain about how your mother coddles you incessantly, think of who Mer and I had to live with and grow up to; a couple of heartless satanic bitches," Celia nonchalantly answered, walking away and leaving behind a horrified intern in her wake.

 ****GA****

Another shock was received by the Latina when she watched Cristina collapse in the O.R, and she wasted no time in dashing down to her side as Bailey carried her out in a gurney.

"Cristina! Cristina!" Celia yelled, ignoring her frantic resident in favor of grabbing her person's hand.

"Dr. Bailey when you get her stabilized I need a report please," Dr. Burke called out, and Celia detected the panic and pure worry in his tone, even though the bastard dumped her person. "Dr. Bailey?!"

"Right, Dr. Burke," Bailey absently retorted, her eyes never wavering from the distressed Latina to her unconscious intern.

Izzie joined them as they walked down the hall and Bailey speedily continued her report, "Uh! Her pulse is racing. I need her on a monitor to get a BP. Also I want her started on a liter of LR wide open. Izzie run ahead to emergency and let them know we're on our way. Celia, do you have an inkling of what's wrong with her?"

Celia grimaced, her eyes peeled on Cristina who was unsuccessfully trying to talk through her mask.

"Dr. Chávez, I _asked_ you a _question_."

Whispering to Cristina, Celia apologetically spoke up, "I'm sorry, Cristina, but they need to know." All eyes were on the fallen intern as she hesitantly nodded her head in acquiescing. Looking up at Bailey, the Latina firmly said, "You need to page Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd. She's seven weeks pregnant."

Bailey and Izzie halted in their footsteps, gaping at Celia and Cristina in unbelievable shock. After a few moments, the words sunk in and Bailey ordered Izzie to get Addison and be discrete about it. "Dr. Chávez, don't you have a surgery Dr. Shepherd asked you to scrub in on?"

"Cristina is more important," Celia snapped as Izzie returned with Addison, "Alex is with him. I can scrub in on another surgery any other time."

Izzie gaped at Celia as though she grew a second head, "You'd willingly skip an impressive surgery?"

"I'd do anything for my friends, Blondie," Celia snarled, ignoring the flabbergasted looks of disbelief emanating from both Bailey and Addison. Meredith suddenly dashed over to them and stood firmly by Celia's side, tears running down her face.

"Okay, look you two can't be here. This is personal for you, so wait outside," Addison demanded.

"Fine, fine, but-"Meredith hesitated, her voice trembling as she traded worried glances with Celia, "I made her go jogging. Today morning, Celia and I we-, I made her go jogging. There's no way that could of-"

"No," Bailey's eyes softened in understanding as she looked at both of distressed interns, "Nothing caused it to happen."

Celia and Meredith watched in terror as Addison, Bailey and Izzie disappeared with Cristina into an O.R.

"What happened before you found out about Cristina?" Celia asked knowingly.

After a few beats, Meredith sniffled and allowed herself to be embraced by the Latina, "My mom has cancer."

And the hits just keep on coming. Would the twisted sisters ever receive a break …

 ****GA****

Meredith, Celia and Alex found themselves sitting in the waiting room awaiting both Ellis Grey and Cristina to wake up from their surgery.

Alex tried lightening the mood by bringing up Kelly Roche's situation, "Still think its nuts having major surgery just so people can't tell how you're feeling."

Celia shrugged noncommittally, "I kind of understand where she's coming from."

"Of course you do," Alex scoffed in amusement, though his eyes shone with concern, "You're practically a walking ad for emotionless expressions and deft masks." Celia snorted and bumped shoulders with him.

"Talk Mer. You know it would make you feel better, so just… talk," Alex stared meaningfully at Meredith who had been silent the whole time.

"I'm fine," she grudgingly answered, her will to stay quiet beginning to crack.

"You've said that word so many times today it doesn't even sound like a word anymore," Alex stated, "Just saying you can talk, we're the 'persons' according to Yang," he snorted in humor, "We keep each other's dirty secrets remember?"

Celia laughed, happy that Alex managed to form a smile on Death's face.

"No seriously," Alex's face flushed a little, "You two know I'm not one for sappy conversations, but… If I found out my mom might have cancer I'd be under the bar right now."

"Speaking of mothers," Celia randomly uttered, garnering the attention to be solely fixed on her person, "Ellis thought I was Sophie, and kept blathering on and on about my dad and us, thinking we were still kids."

There was a gloomy atmosphere revolving around them; Alex would never forget the touching, yet heartbreaking speech Celia gave their previous patient, Scott about her father's death and how much he meant to her. Although he didn't know how exactly Mr. Chávez died, he knew it wasn't a peaceful one. Meredith grimaced, her eyes shining with unshed tears, and that more than anything made her spill out he guts, knowing how Celia avoided mentioning her parents.

"The ugly truth is… I'm more afraid my mom _doesn't_ have cancer," Meredith honestly muttered, eyes focused on the ground, unable to hold eye contact with her friends.

"Well," Alex uncomfortably cleared his throat, "Liver cancer's fast. Painful but it's fast and they give you morphine. They don't give you morphine for Alzheimer's."

"No they don't," she sighed desolately, finally looking up at her friends, "What kind of person wishes their mother has cancer?"

When Alex was unable to find a correct response, Celia took it upon herself to speak the unforgivable words, "Honestly. I wouldn't wish cancer on my _mother_ , but I wouldn't rule out smiling if she was hit by a car. Maybe that would smack some motherly affection into the She-Devil's cold and bitter heart."

Alex snorted, smothering it up as a cough and Meredith beamed, her eyes glimmering with gratitude; nobody understood the twisted sisters more than each other … nobody ever would.

 ****GA****

It was an utterly tiresome and demanding day in Seattle Grace. A day where secrets were exposed, nakedly revealing itself to others. A day where hearts bled out and pleaded with the person holding it to forgive. A day where cancer struck the hearts of a few that cared immensely for one, Ellis Grey, no matter how deftly they hid those feelings deep within.

The Adonis Neurosurgeon didn't think that this precise day could get any worse, what with the Chief of Surgery totally disregarding his medical advice, and not bothering to send his adulterating whore of a satanic wife away. Celia dismissing his genuine feelings towards her, unable to look him in the eyes for more than a few seconds and never uttering his name, constantly calling him, _Dr. Shepherd_ in a professional yet detached manner.

The uncovering of Ellis Grey not only suffering from Alzheimer's, but now liver cancer … and if that weren't shocking enough, the other frigid and stern intern of Bailey's, Cristina Yang, was found to be pregnant, collapsing in the O.R. and losing her unborn fetus.

Derek Shepherd found himself smiling with fondness and devotion when he noted the Latina woman that captivated him ever since the moment his eyes first connected with those chocolate orbs and consumed his every waking thought, walking over to her car.

Hoping to engage her in yet another conversation, hopeful that this would be the starting moment where they would be able to move on and start a relationship, ignoring the blockade of his wife storming into the hospital, Derek approached her from behind. However, the Adonis Neurosurgeon found his footsteps halt quite suddenly when a stranger made a straight beeline toward her person, and he hid behind a pillar in the hopes of eavesdropping and stepping in if need be.

"Celia, right?" the man was handsome, much to Derek's ire, with dark hair styled in a buzz cut and jade eyes completely enthralled at the Latina, Derek knew the man to be a perfect competitor, one that he didn't want to acknowledge.

"Uh, Jake? What are you doing her- what? Why are you laughing?" Derek suppressed his laughter at hearing the no-bullshit tone coming from the Latina.

"I was half expecting you to call me Jeff, like this morning." _This morning_? Dread encompassed the Attending's insides, and now he knew… Celia wasn't waiting for him if she managed to tumble into bed with some stranger.

"Yeah, about that. I had work to get to," Celia shrugged, unlocking her car, "Is there something I can help you with? Or do you usually take the time to stalk your one-night stands?"

Derek took note of the wolfish grin on the man- Jake's face and it deeply unsettled him, especially when he finally informed her of the reason for his late night stroll.

"I was hoping for a second round … no strings attached. What do you say?"

The neurosurgeon wanted to rant and rave, scream and shout. But he had no right. Celia wasn't his girlfriend, he had a wife waiting for him to take her back … Celia continuously and stubbornly informed him quite clearly ever since day one that she didn't date, or do boyfriends, merely one-night nights and random hookups.

This Jake guy provided her the one thing Celia couldn't refuse … no strings attached.

But as he watched the woman he loved, and the stranger leave together, he promised himself, he would win-over the Latina's heart, even though dread filled him when a part of his soul yelled in his ear that he would eventually take Addison back with open arms.

It's a sign of weakness, of not being up to the task, and still there are times when it just gets away from you. When the world stops spinning and you realize that your shiny little scalpel isn't gonna save you.

No matter how hide you fight it. You fall. And it's scary as hell.

 **A/N:** **This chapter was more about Celia and Meredith's woes. Their tight friendship with Cristina and Alex; Ellis Grey illuminating us a bit about Celia's background.**

 **Also, I added Derek POV at the end, thought you'd all like to see what is running through his brilliant yet sexy mind …**

 **Did you like this chapter?**

 **R &R.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter13:**

The key to surviving a surgical internship is denial. We deny that we're tired, we deny that we're scared, we deny how badly we want to succeed, and most importantly, _we deny that we're in denial_. We only see what we wanna see and believe what we want to believe. And it works. We lie to ourselves so much, that after a while, the lies start to seem like the truth.

"Addison kissed me," was the greeting Bailey received from Derek Shepherd as he slumped down beside her at the bar. "Addison kissed me, and Celia doesn't care about me. In fact, I just saw her leave from the hospital with some, some _guy_."

After Derek witnessed the intern he was irrevocably falling for, leave with the dark-haired stranger she seemed to be on familiar terms with, he ditched Addison at the hospital and fled to the bar, hoping to vent and drink his sorrows and confusion away.

Bailey's coffee colored orbs widened in disbelief for a moment, before narrowing at the love-struck neurosurgeon and in one swift move, flickered toward the amused yet sympathetic Joe. "Joe, do I _look_ friendly to you?" she snapped in her methodical Nazi intonation.

Amusement shone through, sympathy on the back burner, and Joe rested his elbows on the bar, leaning forward with a smile toward Bailey, "Oh, you're a tiny little kitten of joy and love." Bailey's lethal glare she reserved for her insolent interns had Joe backtrack slightly, " _What_? He saved my life."

"His first mistake," she muttered in retort; barely sparing the Neuro-God a glimpse, she snapped, "McDreamy, go sit by someone who cares."

But Derek didn't move an inch, receiving an aggravated huff from Bailey.

"Everything's gonna be fine," Derek spoke up, and it was obvious to Joe and Bailey, that he was trying to convince himself, "Addison will go back to New York. Celia and I will start over, everything's gonna be fine, right?" desperate blue eyes beseeched them to prove his statement correct.

We deny so much that we can't recognize the truth, right in front of our faces.

Bailey's notorious glare vanished, only to be replaced by a look of incredulous disbelief, "You so damn stupid." That was all she had been able to intone, too shocked by the Attending's idiotic denial and wishful thinking.

 ****GA****

"I want everyone focused today," Bailey ordered, staring at Celia, Meredith, Alex, Izzie and George in turn with pragmatism and solemnity, "With Cristina out, we're short an intern and I have a feeling it's gonna be _one of those days_. And Karev," she suddenly barked, causing said intern to stand up straight, "See the chief by the end of the day."

"What for?" Alex questioned in puzzlement.

Eyebrows arched, Bailey stared at him as though he were a fool and droned out in a mocking tone, "Do I _look_ psychic to you? He is the chief. He asked. _You go_."

Celia patted his arm in comfort and support, "Don't worry, Alex. You've nothing to be worried about," she whispered soothingly. Alex smiled and gave her a diminutive nod in gratitude; Meredith, Alex and Cristina were the only interns that knew the chief was Celia's godfather and were sworn to secrecy. Not that Celia was ashamed of her Uncle Rich, but most people would constantly nag and blindly blame her for preferential treatment, and she wanted to succeed on her own merits.

They walk in to the first patient's room, only to gape at the entourage of interns, doctors and nurses crowded around her beside who were deeply immersed in whatever story she was narrating. "They all look at me. They're yelling, 'You're a doctor, help him!' This is one time a PhD does no good."

"I'm sorry, did I miss the bell for social hours?" Bailey bellowed in angered tones. The Nazi's arrival was the domino effect in getting every single one of the patient's audience to get up and scuttle out the room.

The patient smiled innocently and shrugged, "Tales of missionary life."

"You're a missionary?" Izzie piped up in sycophantic awe, her eyes roaming around the artifacts in the room.

"No, my parents. We traveled a lot," the patient rebutted with a gentle smile.

"Oh wow. This stuff looks _great_ ," Izzie suddenly stands up straight, quailing slightly under Bailey's annoyed stare and cleared her throat, all business again, "Um, this is Dr. Burke's patient, Kalpana Vera-"

" _Kull_ - _punna_ ," the woman corrected the pronunciation of her name at once, "Named by villagers in Nepal."

"Uh, she presents with a multiple syncopal episode and ventricular arrhythmias," Izzie continued unsurely.

Musing the influx of information, Bailey settled her stare onto Kalpana, "So you've been passing out?"

"Yeah, and having palpitations," she added.

"Passed medical history of rheumatic heart disease with mitral valve stenosis," Izzie continued with her report. Kalpana grimaced, "They had to ship me from Zambia to the States for three months of treatment when I was eight. Rheumatic fever almost killed me."

Bailey turned to Izzie, "Dr. Stevens. What are the primary causes of ventricular arrhythmias?"

But just as Izzie's mouth opened to dutifully answer Bailey's pop-quiz question of the day, Cristina appeared in the doorway dressed fully in a hospital gown and dragging along her IV stand, shouting out, "Valvular disease, mitral valve prolapse, stimulants, drugs, and metabolic abnormalities."

"Raise of hands who _didn't_ see that coming?" Celia couldn't help but quip, smugly grinning to herself when nobody raised a hand, all of them staring at the pleased Korean in amusement and in Bailey's case, exasperation.

"What?" Cristina questioned innocently, almost as though a patient answering medical questions was completely normal. Bailey glared at her, sticking an outstretched hand out, "OUT!"

"I'm fine," Cristina stubbornly huffed in retort.

"Out!" Bailey repeated in a no nonsense tone, "You better be in your room by the time we round on you," she threatened toward the end.

"And… when will that be?"

"In fifteen seconds," Bailey shot out, "14. 13. 12. 11," she began counting out loud, prompting a reaction out of the startled Korean who instantly turned around to retreat. Unfortunately, everyone got a good glimpse at her underwear sticking out through the slip at the back of her hospital gown and the interns didn't succeed in smothering their bouts of laughter.

"Nice panties, Yang," Alex shouted out, garnering a smack from both sides, courtesy of an amused Meredith and Celia. Cristina closed the back of her gown, covering her modesty from view and snarled at Alex, "In your dreams, Evil Spawn."

As they followed her to her room for rounds, Meredith grinned at Alex, "You know that Cristina _will_ be paying you back for that comment, right?"

Alex shrugged nonchalantly, but the smirk said it all, "Ehh, it was worth it."

When they finally arrived at Cristina's room, they found her to be lying in bed with her arms crossed, simultaneously shooting annoyed glares at a Korean middle-aged woman who was sitting comfortable in the corner on a couch deftly doing some sewing beside the window. Definitely her mother.

"Cristina Yang. Post-op day three from a unilateral salpingectomy-"Meredith was interrupted from reading the charts by an aggravated Cristina, who couldn't help but snark back, "And ready to get back to work!"

"Is she?" the middle-aged woman asked, obviously not taking Cristina's words to heart. Celia agreed with the woman's suspicion; a stampede of rhinoceros wouldn't deter the hardcore Korean intern from returning to work.

Cristina shot the woman a deathly glare, "I'm taking solids and my pain is controlled with oral meds," she stared beseechingly at Bailey, "I'm ready!"

"Didn't the nurse say this morning you had a fever?" the woman retorted angrily.

"Mother!" Cristina snapped. Celia and Meredith traded looks at that … oh, how they felt Cristina's pain. Having your mother around, especially in your work abode, was grating.

"Cristina, _did you_ have a fever?" Bailey snapped, not in the mood for any lies, especially when it came to one of her interns who were a reluctant patient. Cristina grumbled audibly, barely achieving eye contact with anyone as she unwillingly blurted out, "Temp spiked to 101 last night. _Big deal_ ," she raised both hands in the air to make her point.

"She worked two shifts last month with a 102 degree flu," George pointed out, garnering a rare bright smile displayed to him, courtesy of Cristina Yang. "Yes. Exactly, George. _Thank you_."

"Did she just genuinely smile at me AND thank me?" George bewilderly murmured to his co-interns, all of whom bit their lips to smother their laugh. Bailey, unfortunately heard, and after shooting him an 'I'm not amused' glare, confronted Cristina, "And we appreciate your _dedication_ , but you're staying in bed until it normalizes."

"I keep telling her, there's more to life that surgery and career," Mrs. Yang uttered out loud. Celia rolled her eyes and met Cristina's annoyed orbs; of course she'd believe that, her being a Beverly Hills trophy wife, like her own mother; they all worship the same beliefs. Cristina's response was generally amusing when she dismissively snapped back, "Mother, go upholster something."

Bailey sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Look, I need you to relax, shut up and get better. You're a patient this week, so you can be a doctor _next week_. Understand?" Just as the group was exiting the room, Celia rushed over to a desolate Cristina's side and quickly murmured, "Mer, Alex and I will come rescue you later. Keep you company before you murder your mother." She parted the Korean intern with a wink, and received a grateful smile in response.

Meredith grabbed Celia's hand in an iron grip as they entered her mother's room for the next round of the day, and the Latina squeezed her arm in silent support. Ellis Grey was lying in bed, covered in a pink robe and glaring at each and every one of them as they filed into her room.

"Ok, Dr. O'Malley, you're presenting," Bailey ordered.

Clearing his throat, George nervously shifted in place before he began, "Ok, Dr. Grey is post-op day three from a tumor resection-"

"Wrong, wrong, _wrong_. He's got it ALL wrong," Ellis shouted out, deftly interjecting the frightened intern. "It's not asthma, it GERD. He needs a Nissen fundoplication," suddenly, in a bout of utter randomness, Ellis stared at Meredith and snapped, "I don't want _her_ in the room."

"Mom!" Meredith yelled out, scandalized, the hand clasping Celia's tightening tenfold.

"She's a child and I _won't_ have her in my team," Ellis continued indignantly.

Bailey shot Meredith a contrite look and said, "We'll meet you outside, Dr. Grey." Stunned, Meredith shook her head in annoyance and barged out of the room, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence, which was broken by a smug Ellis Grey who had eyes for nobody but Celia, much to her distraught.

"Sophie, thank god you're here. What were you thinking allowing Meredith to be a part of my team? Let her go play with Celia. And do me a favor, Soph, get your husband on my case. He might be lacking compared to me, but I trust he won't kill me like those other incompetent surgeons and interns," Ellis rapidly ranted.

Bailey was devoid speechless and gaped unattractively at the frigid Latina who showed zero emotion on her exterior except for the flash of anger in her icy eyes. "Right away, Ellis. I'll go see if he's free," she said smoothly before whipping around to face the still shocked Bailey, "Dr. Bailey, permission to be excused."

"Granted. Go see if you can catch up with Dr. Grey," Bailey said weakly.

Barely sparing anybody a second glance, Celia hurried out of the room and toward the elevator, desperately trying with all her might to keep her composure. She was shaken out of her thoughts by a familiar baritone voice, "You skipping rounds?" Turning around, she grimaced at the sight of Derek, not in the mood for another round of being dragged into married couple dispute and his heartfelt declarations.

"Looking for Meredith," she replied dismissively; no need to confide in him that she was chiefly avoiding Ellis Grey. Derek sidled closer to her side, a hand reaching out to cup her cheek, "Celia-"

The Latina side-stepped him immediately and with practiced ease, and glared at him with glacier cold eyes, "Dr. Shepherd, must I repeat the fact that you have a wife _and_ that I'm _not_ interested?"

"You seemed to be pretty interested in that Jeff guy last night," Derek said snarkily, blue eyes turning chilly at the thought of her in the arms of another man. Celia whipped around, and a thundercloud could be seen formulating above her head as she hissed out in incensed rage, "You _spied_ on me?!"

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't enjoy stalking you. You weren't exactly secretive when you left with him last night in the parking lot," Derek hissed back, angered beyond belief.

A derisive laugh bubbled out of the Latina's mouth, identifying exactly to the 'Cruella De Vil' moniker everybody in the hospital had taken to calling her. "Dr. Shepherd, what I do or _who_ I do on my own free time, is _none of your business_."

"Look, Celia. Addison is leaving. She doesn't have any more patients in this hospital. There's no reason for her to be here. We can smooth things over, forget this ever happened-"Derek groaned in anger when he was interrupted by his Satanic wife who airily commented as she approached them, "Well, isn't this _cozy_?"

Celia rolled her eyes and went to walk away from the histrionics of the couples when Addison's next sentence froze her in place, "Can I join in, or are you not into threesomes?"

Turning around with a mocking smirk plastered on her lips, Celia's eyes flickered over to the couple and she matter-of-factly commented, "I would, really. But usually when I partake in threesomes, I make it a habit to _not know_ the other two joining in. Goodbye!"

And the frigid Latina walked away, leaving behind two dumbstruck Attendings staring at her retreating back with their mouths agape.

 ****GA****

When Celia finally located Meredith's hidey-hole, the two interns hashed all the gritty feelings out about Ellis and Derek before Dr. Bailey intruded and ordered them to follow her to the next patient that had just arrived.

Walking in, the Latina and the blonde took note of the man's youthful face and good-naturedness as he shut the book close with an audible snap and shot Bailey a cheeky grin. To the interns' unified shock, the Nazi was beaming at him fondly, a visage that was rare in itself.

"I thought I told you I never want to see you again," Bailey informed him, her strict tone going down a notch or two. The man let out a boisterous laugh, and brazenly retorted, "That's only cause you're too lazy to learn anything more."

Letting out a mock-annoyed huff, Bailey referred to the two flabbergasted interns, "Dr. Meredith Grey and Dr. Celia Chávez, Jeremiah Tate. He thinks he knows so much cause he was one of my first patient's as an intern," she introduced.

"I knew as much as she did," Jeremiah grinned, "She was clueless about how to treat cystic fibrosis. A simple cholecystectomy turned into a month-long stay."

"Better not be alleging malpractice. Guy raises about a 100 grand a year for cystic fibrosis, running triathlons. Thinks he's a _big shot_ ," Bailey retorted back in amusement. The byplay was sufficiently amusing, and it helped the two interns to forget about their blasphemous start of the day.

"You run triathlons?" Meredith inquisitively asked, a brow rising in impressiveness.

"Eh, why not," he shrugged nonchalantly, and Celia could not help but bite back and say, "Pain for one."

Bailey grinned at that; inwardly glad for the Latina's comprehension. Looking down at Jeremiah's chart she asked in concern, "Says here you're finally admitting to feeling a little?"

"A little," Jeremiah casually replied, trying to take the heat away from his condition.

"How little? Truth!" Bailey's tone held a warning, and Jeremiah smartly complied, "Oh, enough to keep me awake at night. Had some seizures. Um … too weak to work out."

"Anyone been through here with your CT results?" Bailey asked.

"No. It's probably just my pancreatitis kicking up again," Celia noticed that Jeremiah downplayed a lot to hide the seriousness of his ailment, and while she respected his bravery, she knew that it wouldn't be good in the long run.

"All right then," Bailey sighed, getting up from his side on the bed, "We'll be back. With your results and a plan." As the three doctors approached the door, Bailey suddenly turned with a knowing expression on her face, "Where do your parents think you are this time?"

Smiling, Jeremiah said, "New Jersey."

"Let me wager a guess," Celia drawled out as they walked a great distance from Jeremiah Tate's room, "He doesn't want to worry his parents?"

"Exactly. He doesn't like to bother them until he's well or about to get discharged," Bailey answered forlornly, "He understands his reality. He just chooses to ignore it. Denial works for him, Chávez."

Denial; in the long-run, it wouldn't help the least bit, but only make things worse than they already were.

 ****GA****

While her co-interns were all busy drowning with impressively interesting surgeries, Cristina was forcibly sitting on her bed, glaring at her mother, Helen, as she painted her toes red as though she were a grown-up, figurine doll. If that weren't bad enough, the moody Korean intern was obligated to listen to her drone on and on about her ludicrous problems in remodeling the house in a mid-century design. Unable to be coerced into being groomed any longer, she interrupted her mid-drivel, finally snapping, "Mother! Give me back my toes!"

Helen Rubenstein née Yang wasn't close to her daughter as much as she'd like to be, but she did raise her throughout childhood and adolescence and she knew that Cristina was hinting for a change in subject. Releasing her foot, Helen glanced at her annoyed daughter and sighed loudly, "Okay. I change the subject. Who's the father?"

Groaning, Cristina decided she was better off listening to the refurbishing drivel, "Mid-century did you say?"

"Someone you work with, right?" Helen ignored the change of subject, stubbornly continuing, "Was it just sex? You made such a point of not forming attachments."

"Twenty minutes. Just give … All I want is twenty minutes of peace and _quiet_ ," Cristina Yang had finally snapped and was quickly reaching her breaking point. She could only handle small doses of being around her mother's suffocating presence.

"The daughter I raised would appreciate her mother's help," Helen snapped.

"The daughter you raised is _begging_ for you to go. Now!" Cristina retorted heatedly. Helen stood up and placed both hands on her hips, "I didn't have to come down here. You know, I'm very busy."

"Yeah, I know. I know. Redecorating your house," Cristina snarkily replied with a roll of her eyes. Helen huffed and mother and daughter spent a moment engaged in a stare down battle. Finally, Cristina decided to appease her mother a little bit, "Well, can you get me a mocha latte, please?"

"A non-fat one," Helen negotiated looking pleased.

"No! A FAT one!" Cristina bellowed, rubbing her temples in exhaustion. Helen huffed and snatched her purse, but before she left, a contemplative expression dawned on her face, attracting Cristina's attention. "You know, that intern who was here before with the others, the olive-toned one…"she clicked her fingers as she tried to remember.

"Celia. What about her?" Cristina questioned, all irritation gone at the sudden change of subject.

"She seems familiar. But I cannot recall from where," Helen pondered, scratching her chin. Cristina shrugged, "She moved to Beverly Hills at the age of nine or ten, I don't know. Whatever!" The Korean intern lost interest. Helen still looked unsure, but much to her daughter's delight, she left to retrieve her latte without another word.

 ****GA****

"I saw her take a pill! That Kalpana missionary woman. I know what I saw," Cristina grumbled. Celia had kept her word, and during lunch hour, she, Alex and Meredith decided to eat and keep the Korean intern company. Currently, she was babbling about catching Kalpana swallow some pills and lie about it. "She's obviously faking it."

Alex snorted, "You think that's bad? I got a patient, with a bullet embedded in his head, and get this; he's alive, and functioning. _And_ there's no exit wound."

The three female interns paused in their administrations and gaped at Alex in question before chanting in disbelief, "What?"

"Yeah. He said he was cleaning out his gun, thought the clip was out and shot himself by accident," Alex explained.

"Wow. This is like déjà-vu. Reminds me of the patient that had nails in his head, remember Mer," Celia piped up, face shining with awe. Meredith nodded ecstatically.

"Oh, by the way, CeCe. When you were called by Tyler to get Cristina back in the room," here all three interns shot a grumbling Cristina a pointed glare, "Addison offered her services to help with Jeremiah. Says she did two years genetic research in cystic fibrosis," Meredith rolled her eyes; by default, the three twisted friends hated Addison Montgomery-Shepherd's guts for being married to Derek and in support to Celia's case.

"Eh. I don't really care," Celia shrugged, garnering three looks of disbelief. Huffing, she clarified, "Look, this could be really good for Jeremiah's survival rate. Bailey likes him a lot; she'd take all the help she can get in saving his life. And besides, Addison isn't going to leave Seattle without a fight. She's not going to just _leave_ Derek, and I honestly don't care. I wiped my hands clean of their marital spat the second she walked into the hospital."

"I don't know how you can be so nonchalant about it. If it were me, I'd make a hissy fit," Meredith commented.

Celia deadpanned, "I don't do relationships, and you know that. And let's hypothetically say I do and I was hopelessly in love with Derek; I don't need the Shepherd's drama, I already have enough in my life. I just want to pass my internship and residency and become a hotshot Attending, maybe win a Harper Avery Award."

"Good goals. If only I listened to my own advice and followed your footsteps, then I wouldn't be in a ridiculous hospital gown and ordered to stay in bed rest for the week," Cristina snarled in aggravation.

Celia snorted before giving her utmost attention to Meredith and Alex, "Word of advice. Take it from the two of us; _don't_ under _any_ circumstance, get involved with an Attending, unless they work in another hospital."

"Got it," Meredith obediently replied.

"I'm good," Alex smirked, taking her warning to heart.

Before they could continue gossiping about their patients, George's frazzled face appeared in the doorway, "Uh, Meredith, your mother is missing."

 ****GA****

Like mindless chickens running around with their heads chopped off, George, Nurse Tyler and a few other unnamed interns located Ellis Grey conversing with Derek Shepherd about Alex's gunshot wound patient. George succeeded in wheeling Ellis back to her room after receiving a consult promise from an amused Derek, and everybody went back to their jobs.

Currently, much to Celia and Meredith's distaste, they were in Jeremiah's room forced to listen to Addison explain to him about how they were to proceed with his surgery.

"We don't know for sure until we go in there, but it looks like that I'm going to have to take out your pancreas and re-route your intestines," Addison explained in a professional tone.

Jeremiah turned to Bailey, "Did you tell her that my lungs don't do well with anesthesia?"

"Don't I always have your back," Bailey retorted with a smile. Addison however, didn't look amused and seemed to disapprove of her closeness with the patient. "Your kidney function is decreasing rapidly, and I'm afraid you're gonna go into multi-system organ failure if we don't operate," Addison stated.

"If I say no?" Jeremiah asked.

"There's no guarantees, Jeremiah. You know that. It's gonna be long, hard surgery and put a lot of stress on your body," Bailey solemnly informed him.

"So if we don't operate, I die. And if … we do operate, I _may_ die," Jeremiah finalized, fear the main emotion on his exterior. Celia couldn't help but pity the guy; both cases had a large risk.

"Basically, yes," Addison honestly replied.

"Well, I like those odds. And 26 years with this disease is awesome," Jeremiah returned to his mirthful attitude, "And that's the reality. So if I get lucky … great. And if I don't …" he grabbed Bailey's hand and smiled softly, "It's been sweet."

"It's gonna stay sweet," Bailey said firmly, her eyes conflicted.

 ****GA****

"So that's the guy, huh?" Celia looked intrigued, eyes zoned in on Mr. Linden who was currently arguing with his wife. Both Celia and Meredith departed from the gloomy atmosphere in Jeremiah's room and went searching for Alex so that they could get a good view of the gunshot patient. Derek stood nearby, his eyes simultaneously flickering from the patient, to Alex and then to Celia in repetition.

"Yup," Alex replied, smirking at the two interns.

"Do you understand that? 21 years!" Mrs. Linden suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs.

"What's that about," Derek murmured, his eyes glued on the patient now and thankfully losing interest in Celia at the current moment. The neurosurgeon and three interns listened with unwavering interest at the couple's argument.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm _sorry_ , I love you, I forgive you," Mr. Linden sighed in annoyance.

Mrs. Linden didn't look the least bit mollified, "You cheated on me! You cheated on me! And you do _not_ get to play the martyr here!"

"I've got a bullet in my head," Mr. Linden roared.

"The guy's got a point," Meredith muttered to Celia and Alex, both of whom nodded in immediate agreement.

"And that doesn't make us even!" Mrs. Linden screeched.

"YOU SHOT ME!"

Gasps were emitted from the observers. Derek's stance transformed into utter solemnity and he quickly barked out orders to Alex, "I think we need to get the police up here right now." Alex nodded and departed at once.

"And _that_ is one of the reasons why I don't do relationships," Celia muttered to Meredith, who nodded in shocked agreement, ignoring Derek's sad and bewildered stare as they bypassed him and left the premises.

 ****GA****

 _Time of death: 19:26._

Jeremiah Tate's death not only hit Bailey hard, but Celia and Meredith who had actually taken a liking to the good-natured man who suffered for 26 years under a disease he had no control over. Just as the two best friends were about to leave and drown their sorrows in tequila, they both got an urgent page about Cristina.

"What's going on?" a panicked Meredith yelled out, only to pause in disbelief once setting eyes on Cristina.

"Oh my God," Celia breathed out, eyes threatening to bulge out of their sockets.

Cristina was hysterically crying, and not normal weeping tears, but huge wracking sobs that shook her entire body. She was surrounded by a gazillion bunched up tissues and kept letting out a roar that resembled a wounded lion with every sob she took.

"I can't stop. I can't, I can't stop," Cristina managed to let out in between huge sobs.

"Crying. She can't stop crying," Izzie rushed out in a tizzy, diverting the two dumbfounded interns to the other occupants in the room. Helen was gaping unattractively from the corner of the room at her daughter, while both Izzie and George were huddled by the wall, both staring at her as though she were a hungry lion and at a complete loss of what to do. George would hand over tissues every once in a while.

"We can see that! What did you guys do?" Celia snapped, glaring at Helen in particular.

"Nothing!" Izzie yelled.

George nervously piped up, "She was asking for you specifically, Celia."

"Me?" Celia retreated backwards as though scared to poke the crying intern. "Why me? I don't do crying."

"You-you, you, you said you've never cried before. MAKE IT STOP!" Cristina suddenly roared, making everyone in the room flinch.

"Uh, I don't know, Cristina, I just don't cry," Celia weakly responded, ignoring George and Izzie's look of disbelief.

"She's going to dehydrate," George worriedly said. Slowly, he approached the crying intern and in soft tones asked, "Cristina, do you want some water?" But the only response he got was a loud wail that threatened to shatter their eardrums.

"Oh for goodness sakes. She's not going to eat you," Celia huffed, and both she and Meredith moved closer to hug her, but before they managed, a loud, "NO!" by Izzie and George stopped them, and they both tugged them away.

"I already tried that. It just made it worse," Izzie hissed.

A tutting sound came from Helen and she shook her head, "I knew she'd break sooner or later. Just a matter of time."

"I WILL KILL HER!" Cristina roared fiercely, pointing at her bewildered mother. Meredith sprung to action and yanked Helen out of the room, ignoring her adamant yells of, "I'm her mother!"

"We don't do well with mothers here," Celia called after her retreating back.

Meredith nodded in agreement and continued to escort her out, "Why don't you come back later."

George cautiously handed the hysterically weeping Cristina another tissue who began hyperventilating once again.

"Cristina," Meredith hesitantly approached her.

"SOMEBODY SEDATE ME!" Cristina roared yet again, causing the four interns to flinch and recoil backwards. Suffice to say, nobody knew how to get Cristina's uncontrollable crying to cease and desist.

Sometimes reality has a way of sneaking up and biting us in the ass, and when the damn bursts all you can do is swim. The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon; we can only lie to ourselves for so long.

We are tired. We are scared. Denying it doesn't change the truth. Sooner or later, we have to put aside our denial … and face the world head on, gun's blazing.

From afar, Celia watched as Dr. Burke lovingly stroked a softly sniffing Cristina's hair, take off his jacket and climb into bed beside her, holding her tightly in his arms. A fond yet sad smile appeared on the Latina's face, ignoring the loneliness that settled in her heart when Burke chastely kissed her forehead affectionately and allowed her to cry, her face burrowed in his chest, ignoring Helen Rubenstein's knowing and approving stare.

A part of Celia Chávez trembled in fear and anticipation in regards to the indecipherable and unpredictable future. She hadn't cried a single tear since she was thirteen … it has been nearly over a decade since those welled up emotions materialized and emerged to the surface, blocked deftly behind her impassive and emotionless mask. After witnessing Cristina break down, the Latina feared the day all that she had held at bay appeared and boiled over … something the frigid Latina wasn't looking forward to as there were many tears and emotions hidden and squashed.

Sighing forlornly, Celia decided to forgo inebriation under the effects of tequila and go home for a long well-earned sleep, but fate is a funny thing … on her way out, she bumped into none other than Derek Shepherd, his briefcase knocked onto the floor, and as Celia cordially helped him retrieve the fallen papers, her hand instinctively reached out to the _unsigned_ divorce papers.

Snorting at the guilt-ridden look on Derek's face, the Latina handed over the papers and ignored his calls, leaving the hospital without another word.

Denial. It's not just a river in Egypt. It's a freaking ocean.

So how do you keep from drowning in it?

 **A/N:** **Not much happened, but I cannot have every chapter reveal a secret. Normalcy had to continue.**

 **Why did Celia seem familiar to Cristina's mother? Hmmm, the mysteries keep on coming.**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! XD**

 **R &R.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 14:**

 _Cold chocolate orbs connected with satanic green, gleaming from the gallery staring down at familiar blue-blue eyes and messily tousled raven hair. Those green orbs continued to gleam and shimmer, lighting up as a smile appeared on the redhead's face. Chocolate orbs darken, disconnects and finally,_ _ **finally**_ _, evacuates the premises and into the empty scrub room._

 _The tap is running, water is streaming in fast cascades as she pulls off the gloves filled with blood and innards. Soft, dainty hands enjoy the warm rivets hitting against her previously cold and dry hands and the clearing of a throat awakens her from her trance. Whipping her head to the left, hardened chocolate orbs connect with the softest and bluest eyes she had ever seen._

 _Without permission, her mouth opened and she blurted out all the contents she'd rather keep behind strong fortified walls. "I lied. I'm not out … of this, whatever we have going on. I've been lying since_ _ **she**_ _came here. I'm in. I'm_ _ **so**_ _in, it's humiliating because here I am begging, and I_ _ **never**_ _beg," a hand clamped over her mouth, chocolate orbs widening, horror-struck over her pathetic confession._

 _Quietly, he interrupted her catatonic state, "Celia." The way he says the name, elucidates shivers on every sliver of skin exposed._

" _Shut up," she snapped, shaking her head rapidly, "You've been talking all day, it's my turn. Okay?"_

 _He leans against the sink and crosses his arms, keeping his eyes peeled and ears opened, "Yeah."_

 _Swallowing the nervous lump that was currently dwelling in her throat, she gazed at the Prince Charming her father had always promised would come, and spilled words that were never expected from her, not in a million years. "Ok, here it is. Your choice; I've been telling you it's your choice, but it's simple._ _ **Her**_ _or_ _ **me**_ _. And I'm sure she's really great. But Derek, you wormed your way into my life, tore down my barriers and never gave up, and dammit … I_ _ **love**_ _you … an emotion I have_ _ **never**_ _thought I'd feel in a romanticized way; the love I feel for you is so corny and embarrassing I'd throw away all my aloofness and iciness and beliefs just to make you smile," her voice was choked with emotions and she could have sworn a lone tear made its way down her cheek – she never cried,_ _ **never**_ _! Not since …_ _ **him**_ _._

 _And then she said the final words that changed everything, "So pick_ _ **me**_ _. Choose_ _ **me**_ _. Love_ _ **me**_ _."_

 _He looked at her lovingly – so much love and adoration sparkled in those mesmerizing blue-blue eyes she thought she would faint from the intensity._

" _I'll be at Joe's tonight. So if you do decide to sign the papers, meet me there."_

 _And Celia Chávez hurried out without another word, hope consuming the broken, dark and twisted Latina woman who never lucked out in life and happiness._

 _It was unfortunate that the Latina departed the room, too late to see the hotshot Neurosurgeon sigh loudly, his face crumpled with sorrow and distress. Fortunately, a spiritual specter witnessed the whole scene play out with horror, scorn and disbelief, and anger wreaked her whole form, icy chocolate eyes narrowed at the man she claimed to love as he shook his head and departed._

 _Both the specter and the neurosurgeon knew; Derek Shepherd would not be signing the divorce papers and he will_ _ **not**_ _choose Celia Chávez._

" _SERIOUSLY_!"

Celia shot out of her bed, mahogany curls bedraggled with bedhead, but her eyes were aware as the thundering voice of Izzie Stevens awakened her from her slumber and horrifying yet eye-changing dream, and a minute later, the door to George's room slammed shut.

Groaning, usually the Latina would burst into the room and explode like an inferno at her two co-interns, slash, roommates. However, not this time; gratitude engulfed her over the sudden wake-up call from the grips of her heart-wrenching dream, halting the angry woman from exploding like fireworks.

Somehow the dream seemed so … so, real, almost … _clairvoyant_.

Scoffing, Celia Chávez slumped back into bed and promised herself that her dream and those words she blurted out, would _never_ escape her lips. _Ever_! It was time to let Dr. Derek Shepherd go, and push him back to his satanic wife and away from her personal life.

 ****GA****

Pain comes in all forms.

The small twinge, a bit of soreness, the random pain; the normal pains we live with every day; then there's the kind of pain you _can't_ ignore, a level of pain so great that it blocks out everything else, makes the rest of the world fade away. … Until all we can think about is how much we hurt. How we manage our pain is up to us.

"What was with the tornado yesterday, Izzie?" Celia asked; already dressed for her shift, the Latina made a beeline toward the wonderful smell of coffee beans and graciously accepted the offered mug from George, staring enquiringly at the furious blonde while Meredith scrutinized the scene with confusion.

"Why what happened last night?" Meredith piped up, receiving an arched eyebrow from her best friend, and the mute question of 'where have you been' she sheepishly blurted, "Met a guy at Joe's last night. I only got back two hours ago. Spill Izzie."

Disturbed and envious, George O'Malley took a seat on Celia's other side, avoiding all eye-contact with the green-eyed, dirty blonde, much to Celia's amusement; poor Puppy still hasn't gotten over Death.

Blowing up like a bomb, the leggy blonde slammed both hands on the table and frantically shouted, "I _shaved_ my legs, I looked fantastic. After a long shift with no rest, I made a _huge_ effort for my date with Alex, and he doesn't even have the decency to kiss me goodnight! I mean, _seriously_?!"

Pondering for a moment over the strange exploit of her fellow twisted friend, Celia scrunched her eyebrows in frustration … it didn't seem like an Alex Karev thing to do. Alex _always_ sealed the deal. "Did you think that maybe, perhaps Alex is going through something tough and he might have taken it out on you?" Celia rationalized.

Meredith bobbed her head in agreement, further confusing the distressed blonde, "What Celia said. I mean, it doesn't seem like Alex was himself last night. Maybe you should ask before you judge and beat yourself over something that was probably not your fault."

"Huh," Izzie murmured, biting her lower lip in thought.

Pain. We anaesthetize … ride it out, embrace it, ignore it …

"We should leave now before we're late for rounds," George suddenly announced, avoiding Meredith's gaze.

And for some of us, the best way to manage pain is to just push through it.

 ****GA****

Celia and Meredith approached an anxious Alex the second they reached the hospital and walked over to Bailey, where George, Izzie and an excited Cristina were congregated. The twisted sisters mutually decided to keep silent and interrogate Alex later on in private.

"Has anyone seen Dr. Shepherd, this morning?" Addison Montgomery-Shepherd asked aloud, ignoring Celia, her emerald orbs concentrating on an unconcerned Bailey, who dismissively spoke up, "His name is on the OR board. He should be here somewhere."

Breathing a sigh of relief and annoyance once the gorgeous redhead walked away, she inwardly smiled in gratitude once Alex squeezed her arm in support and the six interns awaited their resident to begin rounds.

"I'm good. I'm ready to scrub in. I'm 100% on top of my game. I'm paced. I'm paced," Cristina blathered on energetically to nobody in particular as they followed Bailey down the halls of the hospital.

"What? You're not talking to me anymore?" Alex questioned Izzie with a raised eyebrow. Izzie glanced at him, unimpressed, and bluntly asked, "Ok, what happened with you last night? _What_ is going on with you?"

Alex shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm fine. What's _your_ problem?"

"Fine, you know what, Alex?" Izzie huffed in frustration, " _No_ , I'm _not_ talking to you anymore."

Alex sidled back over to the three twisted interns' side, looking a mixture of confused and annoyed, yet he kept his mouth shut as they reached the first patient's room. Celia and Meredith traded a meaningful look, unanimously deciding to stay out of the whole Alex/Izzie debacle for now and concentrate on their job, but promising to get to the bottom of Alex' chagrin later. After all, fellow twisted individuals must always stick together.

Clearing her throat, Cristina rapidly began introducing the first patient, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet, "Dr. Bailey. Henry Lamott, age 42, is scheduled with Dr. Shepherd for a spinal implant-"the patient, Henry rolled his eyes and increased the volume of the television, the grating noise of giggling bimbos filling the room, prompting arched eyebrows and wide eyes from all the spectators, except for Mrs. Lamott who dutifully sat by his side. "-to control the pain of his herniated disc," Cristina smoothly continued, ignoring the background noise, "Is allergic to all pain medication-, … is that…?" Cristina gaped dumbstruck at the television, distracted from the introduction.

"Porn," Mrs. Lamott revealed neutrally.

" _Porn_?" Bailey bellowed, mirroring Cristina's expression, "As in _porn_?!"

"All right," Alex laughed, amused hazel eyes flickering onto the television, "What are we watching?" only to receive an elbow to both sides from Celia and Meredith respectively, both of whom were trying to control their stupefied shock and laughter.

Without tearing her eyes from the television, Bailey pointed at the door and barked, "Karev! Go stand in the hall." Once Alex fled the room, a distracted Bailey, tried prying her eyes from the television and focused on Mr. and Mrs. Lamott, "Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Lamott, I'm sure you are really nice people, and what you do in the privacy of your own- … Look, we can't have porn in here. This is a _hospital_!" Bailey moved quickly through the emotions of shock, mortification, horror, scandalized and currently settled on anger.

"It's for my pain," Henry Lamott spoke up without disconnecting his beady eyes from the naked nurses on television, "My doc says it releases endorphins in the brain and helps keep my pain at a manageable level."

Bailey began to splutter loudly, much to the five interns' amusement, and George couldn't help but utter, " _Really?_ "

In a repetition of her previous action toward Alex, Bailey bellowed, "George! Hall!"

As George left in a strange demeanor, Izzie suppressed her laughter and in a choked voice asked, "What is this?"

Much to every occupant's surprise, it was Mrs. Lamott who answered Izzie's inquiry, in an offhand voice, "Nasty Naughty Nurses … um," she squinted at the television, "Four." Celia, Meredith, Cristina and Izzie tilted their heads to the side while looking at the screen.

"That does _not_ look comfortable," Cristina declared with a wince.

In unintended unison, Celia and Meredith revealed, "Trust me. It's not."

Cristina and Izzie tore their eyes to stare at the two best friends in wonder and humor; a scandalized Bailey widened her eyes at the admission and after spluttering some more, bellowed, "Get in the hall!" gaping at Chávez and Grey in bemusement and cursing their damn, active sex lives.

Once all of Bailey's interns were assembled by the nurse's station, Bailey began barking out orders, "O'Malley, Karev, you're in the pit today. Stevens, there's a cardiac patient waiting up for you on 2. Yang, keep an eye on the Lamott's. I don't want any problems. _Go_." In turn, the four interns scurried off, leaving behind Celia and Meredith, both of whom stared at Bailey patiently.

"Grey, your mother's being discharged this evening. You've made arrangements or do you need more time?" Bailey asked gently.

"The nursing home is coming at 8," Meredith replied.

Bailey nodded and began to walk away, "All right, then both of you are with Shepherd, _Derek_ Shepherd, today. Don't look so disappointed Chávez, this is a hospital and you are an intern." Pity engulfed the Nazi upon seeing the distressed look on the Latina's face and she halted in her tracks, "Hey. Life is short. Times are hard. The road is long with many a winding turn. He _asked_ for you. Take it up with him. I had Grey join you to make it easier, now _go_!"

"Fuck. Me," Celia groused out angrily; Meredith placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before looping arms with her, "Come on, CeCe. I'm with you. Let's get this over with."

 ****GA****

" _Pick me, choose me and love me_? And you _cried_?" Meredith gaped, summarizing what she had been able to process from the Latina's strange dream as they scoped the halls for Dr. Shepherd, "You're right, that is _not_ you, not even in the slightest."

"Tell me about it," Celia huffed, massaging her temples, "It just seemed so … _real_. Like a prediction of some sort."

Adamantly, the twisted green-eyed intern shook her head, "Nah, not really. I mean, your dream was a fairytale and we're living in reality. The veracity is that you would _never_ say such things and show such emotions. Definitely never cry either-"

"Celia-… and Dr. Grey," Derek's smiled faltered upon discovering Bailey's deviousness by enlisting Meredith to work alongside Celia on his service, and he forced a smile which morphed into an authentic one once he laid eyes on Celia, regardless of the fact that she was currently staring at him frigidly.

"Your wife is looking for you, _Dr._ Shepherd," Celia coldly informed him, emphasizing on professionalism.

Sighing, Derek stared sadly at the icy Latina, "Oh, my God, this is hard for me, Celia-"

"It's _Dr. Chávez_ , need I remind you again? Besides, there should be no complications, Dr. Shepherd."

Cocking his head sideways in confusion, Derek asked, "No complications? I don't understand…Why would you say that?"

"Because, I see no point in your continuous attempts of sweet-talking me; if I were you, Dr. Shepherd, I'd throw those divorce papers away and work things out with your wife. You see, you're a moral person, despite the fact that you lied to me about being married, and you wouldn't be able to live with yourself without giving Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd a chance, throwing away over a decade of marriage, of good times. Don't waste your time on me, because I assure you, I have no notion of _ever_ being with you, and you'll be tossing aside your marriage for _no_ reason," every word was articulated in a torturously slow motion for Derek to comprehend, her tone impassive, revealing no sentiment whatsoever.

Derek's face morphed into agony, his blue-blue eyes losing its twinkle. He stared agape at the emotionless intern and tried to process her words, only managing to succeed in crushing his heart.

Clearing her throat, reminding them of her presence, Meredith briskly spoke up, "Dr. Shepherd, where's this patient Celia and I are supposed to be helping you with?" Deep down, Meredith felt for the neurosurgeon, but him and Celia were doomed from the start, even if his marriage wasn't uncovered, Celia would have ended it with him sooner or later … it just happened sooner, Addison being the catalyst that set it all in motion.

Nodding his head and adopting a professional stance, Derek pointed to the door behind him, and in a hushed voice filled with agony, whispered, "Down there." Looping her arm once again with Celia, the two interns walked into the patient's room, a desolate neurosurgeon shadowing their footsteps.

Once the introductions were complete, the patient, Anna Chue, began describing her ailment, "I've had a twinge in my back for a little while. I thought it would go away, but then last night my legs went numb. And this morning my back … the pain is just too much."

"Miss Chue, we're going to put you on a PCA pump, give you some morphine which should help control the pain," Derek had recovered and returned to his charming façade in face of his patient, "But there's a greater problem here. I've just take a look at your MRI-"

"Anna!" a middle-aged man, who looked to be Anna's father, interjected angrily, dragging his wife along and glaring at the now cowed patient with disapproval, "Why didn't you call us _before_ coming down here?"

"I'm sorry," Anna bowed her head contritely, and then looked at Derek, Celia and Meredith, "These are my parents."

Dismissing any niceties, Mr. Chue demanded, "What's going on?"

"I was just about to explain that Anna's MRI has shown that she has myxopapillary ependymona," Derek explained calmly, "It's a tumor in her spinal canal. But the good news is that we can operate. You have a 95% chance of fully recovering if we get you into surgery as soon as possible. We can't wait another moment. With a tumor this aggressive even waiting another day puts you at risk of permanent paralysis."

Now, if any decent parent were told by a surgeon who was urgently insisting that their child would die without surgery, they would immediately sign forms, give their approval, no questions asked. Which was why, it came to be an immensely shocking surprise when Mr. Chue aggressively shook his head in negative and strongly denied surgery, rendering the Attending and two interns speechless.

"There will be no surgery today. We're taking her home," Mr. Chue stated, not allowing any room for argument.

"Anna needs the surgery, Mr. Chue. She will _die_ without it!" Celia stated heatedly, gazing at the man as though he were an alien from outer space. But her words had no impact on the stubborn man, who continued to indignantly deny surgery.

Ignoring the incensed father, Derek stared intently at a worried Anna and softly spoke, "Anna, you are over 18. You don't need your father's consent."

An agonizing beat of silence later, Anna slowly gazed at her father and squared her shoulder, "I am Hmong, and my father is the elder. He says I go home, I go home."

"How utterly ridiculous, I mean W.T.F! Another example of why I stay far away from parents, but they take the cake, they are _dismal_ at parenting," Celia ranted as they left Anna's room, "That's murder! Does that count as murder?"

Blue-blue eyes shone with amusement, despite the current circumstance; he found Celia to be absolutely adorable during a heated tirade, and her frantic ranter was like music to his ears. Meredith let out a bubble of laughter and placed a calming hand on Celia's arm, "No, CeCe, I don't think this counts as murder-"

"Premeditated murder then?" Celia interrupted, shooting accusations left and right, much to the amusement of Derek and Meredith. Smoothly interrupting an argument that was no doubt, about to occur, Derek spoke up, "All right, enough. Hmong? Let's find out what that means. Celia, Meredith, contact Social Services, see if we can get anyone down here, and talk to them."

"Do we continue to process her discharge?" Meredith asked, effectively calming Celia from her heated one-sided debate.

Derek sighed forlornly, "Yeah we have to, it's insane, but we have to."

"Okay, come on Death, let's get to work," Celia dragged an apologetically smiling Meredith down the hall, leaving behind a desolate neurosurgeon in their wake. Shaking his head, he stormed off; he had a patient to save and Hmongs to research.

 ****GA****

The lights oddly enough, began to flicker, and the four congregated female interns of Bailey started to stare inquisitively at their surroundings.

"Ok _aaa_ y, this doesn't look good. Why would the lights flicker?" Celia blurted out in worriment, before narrowing her eyes on Cristina, who was hunched down in pain, "Ya know, Cristina, it wouldn't kill you to admit you are in pain."

Brows knitting in concern, Meredith bobbed her head in complete agreement, "You know how long the surgical scar takes to heal. You must obviously be in pain. You should take something."

"Drugs are for babies," Cristina retorted snappishly.

" _Nooo_. Drugs are for people in _pain_ , especially for those who had just undergone surgery. Stop being stubborn Cristina and take a damn pill," Celia snapped, her frustration over the weird dream, Derek and indignant murdering fathers coming out in spades.

Cristina smirked at her all of a sudden, "Why so cranky?"

"I hate Alex!" Izzie cut in heatedly, palpably fuming over Alex turning her down.

Three heads swished to face a red-faced Izzie, and a bewildered Cristina drawled out, "The non sequitur award goes to …"

"I'm sorry. I _hate_ Alex," Izzie groused out, stomping her feet like a petulant child, "And I know the three of you are like, _really, really, really_ close with him, but I _hate_ him."

Deciding to throw Izzie a bone, Celia impassively proclaimed, "I broke all Derek's hopes and convinced, more like _pushed_ him to throw out the divorce papers and be reunited with Satan."

A small smile formed on the leggy blonde's face, thankful that the cold Latina trusted her with some information. Cristina huffed out, resolving it to be fair to share knowledge of her love life, "Burke wants to have a relationship."

"The guy I met at the bar last night asked me out on a date," Meredith blurted, joining the fray, "Can you believe that? I mean, what is so hard for them to understand what a _one-night stand_ means! It's self-implied! But noo, I have to spell it out for them, each _and_ every time!"

Celia snorted humorlessly thinking of Derek, "Join the club. You better hope he doesn't turn out to be your boss, too." Meredith looked horrified.

"Boys are stupid!" Izzie stated heatedly, prompting the three twisted interns to simultaneously agree, "Yup!"

 ****GA****

"Why do the lights keep flickering?" Anna asked, her brown doe-eyes roaming over the ceiling, pausing on the indecisive lighting.

"Something about a backup generator. This pump will provide you with a morphine drip and should stop your pain," Meredith explained, constantly sending warning glares to a silently fuming Celia in between words.

In all honesty, Celia would very much prefer to ditch the patient and work on sutures; it was pointless to babysit a suicidal patient who for some reason agreed with her father's stance on premeditated murder – religious views or not. As a doctor working tirelessly to become a surgeon, Celia Chávez thought it blasphemous to refuse treatment and save your life. It made her think of her beloved, treasured father, and of how he _didn't_ have a chance, not even a measly choice.

"I, I told you, I don't need it. I'm going home," Anna gritted out in obvious pain, avoiding eye-contact with the two disbelieving interns.

Approaching Anna's bed, the Latina finally spoke up in a chilled voice that elicited goosebumps, "You realize you'll have to sign an AMA form stating that you're leaving _against_ medical advice."

Anna dipped her head in acknowledgment, "You don't seem to like me very much, do you, Dr. Chávez."

"Celia…"Meredith warned, but it was too late, Anna's question opened up the can of worms and Celia forsook her filter; "No. I don't. I recognize and respect all religions, but the fact that you and your father are so nonchalant about death, irks me. Many people would _kill_ for a choice, for a chance to live, no matter how diminutive that percentage is, and you're throwing it away, tossing it like garbage. To be blunt, there are a lot of patients more deserving of the silver lining that has fallen into your lap, and we are wasting time on you, when there are many patients that don't even have a fighting chance," Celia sneered, her fists clenching and unclenching.

Meredith groaned loudly into the palm of her hand, but Anna took the Latina's incensed tirade in stride, not offended in the least bit, and she smiled sadly, "This is personal to you, isn't it? Someone you loved died and weren't given a chance of survival," chocolate orbs glared with fire, but Anna smoothly continued, "Have you ever heard of the Hmong people? Our religion has got rules that are way old and way set in stone and way spiritual and you _don't_ mess with them. You don't anger the ancestors. Even if you pierce your tongue and play in a band. So, Dr. Chávez, whoever you lost that was dear to you, I'm sorry, but this is my family's belief. I cannot disregard it."

"What are the rules exactly?" Meredith asked shrewdly, once she deemed it safe to speak. Ten minutes later, a still enraged Celia left the patient under Meredith's calming care and dashed over, looking for Derek.

"Dr. Shepherd?"

"Yes?" Derek smiled benignly, his heart twisting at her constant need for professionalism in his presence.

"You need to talk to Mr. Chue. I'd do it myself, but I guess having testicles is a requirement," she said bitterly. Sighing, Derek dragged a hand down his face, "What happened to social services?"

Shaking her head in resentment, Celia explained the dire situation, "According to Anna, they can't help us. Apparently Anna's father believes she's missing something that she needs for surgery," upon seeing Derek's flabbergasted expression, she carried on in cynicism, "One of her souls. We don't need a social worker. We need a _shaman_."

"A shaman," Derek spluttered. After a moment of thought, he sighed, "Huh, it's a good thing we have access to a helicopter."

 ****GA****

Cristina was deeply annoyed with her patient and so, she ditched the babysitting duty Bailey enlisted her to, searching for Celia or Meredith or even Alex, to take her mind away from the horrible, horrible day. However, she didn't need to search for long as she witnessed the two twisted interns and Izzie frantically running down the hallway in a rush as though they were escaping a blazing fire.

"Hey … wait … where, where are you three going so fast?" Cristina asked urgently.

"Burke is talking George and Alex through heart surgery in an elevator!" Izzie rushed out, her face blotchy due to excitement.

"Yup, and Shepherd is setting up a shaman healing ritual," Meredith smirked.

Celia rolled her eyes and spoke up in fake enthusiasm, "We get to find our patient's soul. Yay us!"

"Rock on!" Izzie parted as she fled toward the opposite direction.

Watching her three co-interns disappear from sight, an annoyed Cristina grumbled to herself, "I have _porn guy_!"

 ****GA****

"Your shaman's late," Derek stated with a smile.

Mr. Chue smirked smugly and negated, "My shaman is never late."

Ten minutes later, the shaman arrived and the two twisted interns began shutting off Anna's PCA pump for the healing ritual. Apparently, Anna won't be able to find her soul if she's medicated.

"No pain, no gain. Got it," Celia murmured; standing aside in the corner, the Attending and two interns watched with unblinking eyes as the ritual began and Celia had to admit that it was fascinating; she felt something stir inside, something foreign consume her and grip her heart, and only when Derek spoke, did she discover what that foreign feeling was.

"How long do you think it takes to retrieve a lost soul?" Derek enquired, his eyes never once diverting from the spiritual scene.

In a hushed whisper, Meredith stated, "I don't know."

Celia stood grounded in her spot, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks, but she avoided and denied with every fiber of her being, breathing a sigh of relief once the healing ritual ended and they immediately wheeled Anna away to the OR for her long overdue surgery.

Concentrating on the surgery and watching Derek work, it was coming to an end and the Latina spared a glimpse into the gallery, eyes widening with shock upon seeing those emerald orbs gleaming, focusing on Derek's visage, a familiar smile on her face; her dream was playing out!

Hyperventilating, the second Derek announced the surgery's conclusion, Celia darted out of the room, washing her hands under the scolding water, rubbing her hands raw, the foreign emotion and her horrible discovery threatening to consume her.

"CeCe, are you okay?" the sweet dulcet sound of Meredith awoke her from her reverie, and she whipped around to see Derek staring at her, his eyebrows knitted in concern, blue-blue eyes sparkling with love and worriment.

"I'm-I'm fine. Peachy keen," Celia stammered, shutting the tap off and drying her red hands without sparing eye-contact. Upon taking note of Derek wanting some privacy with her best friend, Meredith whispered to the Latina that she'd be outside waiting for her.

"Celia," the whispered baritone of Derek's voice resonated the room, affection glaringly obvious in his tone; squeezing her eyes shut, Celia clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms, hard enough to draw out a few droplets of blood … her dream was playing out; all those sweet and gooey words she blurted out and admitted in her dreams, desperately threatened for release, to come pouring out and be acknowledged.

Not giving Derek a chance to speak another word, Celia hurled herself into his personal space, encircled her arms around his neck and connected her lips to his, drowning in the passionate kiss; Derek stilled for a second before his hands snaked around her waist and he pushed her to the wall, his chest flushed against her curvaceous body, trapping her between himself and the wall.

The only words echoing in his head: _it's a dream, I'm dreaming. It's a dream, I'm dreaming_.

It seemed like an hour had passed, when in all actuality, it was only a minute; Celia pulled away from the intoxicating presence of the neurosurgeon, watching his dazed face and unfocused blue-blue eyes, and she finally admitted to herself, the harsh truth; the foreign feeling the spiritual healing provoked her into unearthing.

Celia Chávez, the cold emotionless Latina, was desperately and irrevocably in love with Derek Shepherd, married man and renowned Neuro-God.

"Celia-"

"Don't speak," Celia shakily interjected eyes unblinking and lips quivering; she could not enter a relationship; life taught her long-ago that she was forced to remain unhappy and alone; her life was consumed with past demons and many skeletons in her closet, and Derek was a Prince, a fairytale, a knight in shining armor who believed in Happy Endings and wore his heart on his sleeve. He deserved the best; and deep down, Celia knew that the moral surgeon wouldn't give up on his wife so easily.

"Celia," Derek breathed out, inching toward her, only for the Latina to retreat backward in a step, "What was that? The kiss? Why?"

 _Honesty or denial?_

The decision was made, and the words came spilling out in a hushed, tormented whisper, and she smiled sadly, all impassivity and coldness vanished from her face, shocking Derek to the core at the softness and utter agony she revealed to him in that painstaking moment.

Pain. You just have to ride it out. Hope it goes away on its own. Hope the wound that caused it heals.

You know what to do already; otherwise you wouldn't be in so much pain.

There are no solutions. No easy answers. You just breathe deep and wait for it to subside.

"That Derek was Goodbye," she woefully uttered; placing one last chaste kiss on the corner of his lips, Celia turned around and walked away, leaving behind a distressed and tearful neurosurgeon in her wake, who understood clearly what the Latina who stole his heart was referring to.

 ****GA****

"Joe! Tequilla. Keep 'em coming," Celia ordered, slumping down on the seat by the bar, sandwiched between Meredith and Cristina who gaped at her in shock.

"Are you sure?" Joe asked hesitantly.

"Yup. I don't want to leave this bar until I'm shitfaced, in the arm of a hunky stranger and don't even remember my name," Celia stated with conviction, knocking back a shot of José in the blink of an eye.

Joe glanced uncertainly at Meredith and Cristina, who merely shrugged and motioned for their shot. "Don't you have to be at the hospital tomorrow, Celia?" he asked hesitantly.

"Nope," Celia said, popping the 'p', "It's my day-off. Actually, you know what? Leave the bottle next to me."

After observing Celia knock back five more shots, Cristina elbowed Meredith, stating with her eyes to ask the foreboding question. "CeCe, what happened?"

Snorting scornfully, Celia guzzled the seventh shot of the night, just as George and Izzie joined them at the bar, "I just found out that I am in love with McDreamy. Can you believe that? _Me_ , the frigid bitch, Cruella De Vil, is _in love_. That's entirely a foreign concept."

Gaping, Izzie stuttered, "Wh-what ar-are. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," Celia smiled serenely, the emotion looking agonizing on her visage, "I let him go. Convinced him to make things work with Addison. Me loving him doesn't change the fact that I don't date. Besides, he deserves better. I'm not the one for him. I'm not the one for anyone," she bitterly added, knocking back her eighth shot.

Most of the time, pain can be managed. But sometimes, the pain gets to you when you least expect it. Hit's way below the belt and doesn't let up.

Izzie tried to cheer her up, not used to a despairing Celia, ignoring the shaking heads of Meredith and Cristina in warning, "He might come, you never know."

"She doesn't want him to come, Izzie," Meredith said knowingly, a sad tint to her voice.

"Still. He's definitely coming. I mean, he's been chasing you for months- _Ouch_! What was _that_ for," George whined, massaging his foot where _both_ Cristina and Meredith kicked him. "Do you want her doing tequila shots all night? I'll be the one cleaning up the vomit," his words prompted the three girls to stare at him with their eyebrows arched, and he averted quickly with a dreamy smile, "Besides, I touched a heart today. _Porny_."

The bell of the door rang, and the interns – bar Celia, whipped around, only to see a depressed Alex walk over to them, order a beer and sit next to the drunk Latina.

"You okay, Alex?" Celia slurred, drowsy pained eyes staring intently into hazel orbs.

Alex smiled softly, "Doing better than you." Addressing Meredith and Cristina, he asked, "How many is she on?"

Five pairs of eyes watched Celia knock back another shot, and Meredith and Cristina intoned, "Twelve."

Sighing, Alex placed a comforting arm around Celia. That was all the Latina needed; her friends support and the presence of her fellow twisted companions.

Pain. You just have to fight through, because the truth is, you can't out run it. And life always makes more.

 **A/N:** **There you have it Dear Readers, Celia finally admitted she's in love with Derek, but unlike Meredith in canon, she let him go.**

 **The dream in the beginning of the chapter: my favorite part was when Meredith exclaimed, 'pick me, choose me, love me.' and I HAD to add it in, some way or another since it's very un-Celia-like for her to say those words in reality! For those who wanted more Celia/Derek (DELIA) scenes, voila…!**

 **Things are going to change from this chapter onward; no, Celia won't be some depressed love-struck intern following Derek around. Her personality is different, so she'll be even more frigid than ever. Just because she admitted her love, won't change a thing. The road to Celia/Derek will be a bumpy one, so hold on tight! ;)**

 **Did you enjoy this chapter, Dear Readers?! XD**

 **R &R.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 15:**

Surprises; life is so full of unpredictable beauty and strange surprises. Sometimes, that beauty is too much to handle … Do you know that feeling? Love … Celia's unearthing that she, the impassive, emotionless, frigid bitch, is actually _in love_ with Prince Charming … Love may be a beautiful surprise, one of life's most cherished gifts, but for the Latina … it is anything but; a disastrous surprise. When someone _says_ something or _writes_ something or _plays_ something that moves you to the point of tears, maybe even changes you …

The contradiction; Celia Chávez was moved to the point of drowning her sorrows in José Cuervo, who, in _her_ opinion, is the only man that would never leave you, or hurt you to the point of destruction. José aids in giving you a blissful buzz that eradicates all heartbreak and horrible surprises. And currently, under an intoxicated influence of José, Celia was drowning in blissful kisses with Mr. Handsome No-Name by the corner of Joe's bar under the watchful and disbelieving stares of her co-interns.

"Do you really think he's not coming?" Bless George O'Malley, oblivious to the very end. Meredith huffed and threw him a scolding glare, "For the _hundredth_ _time_ George, Celia _doesn't_ _want him_ to come!" Cristina and Alex nodded forlornly in a solemn unified action garnering a pitying look from Izzie, who muttered, "It is getting a little hard to watch."

Meredith snorted, "Nah, the guy's hot. CeCe will be as good as new once she lets off a little steam with unnamed over there," she grinned, striking green eyes admiring the lean, dirty blonde man who was currently fondling Celia's breasts, their lips locked together tightly. Cristina couldn't help but snort at seeing the overprotective façade of Alex as he stared daggers at the unnamed dude, but smartly kept his mouth shut, lest he faced the terrifying Latina's wrath.

The doorbell jingled, and in synchronization, despite themselves, the five interns whipped around to face the newcomer, only to see Tyler, the male scrub nurse, give them a cordial nod. Suddenly, Joe's Bar was permeated with the loud ringing of a myriad of pagers, and all eyes instinctively locked onto the television.

" _A massive train wreck occurred just outside of Seattle just minutes ago. The Vancouver-bound train was carrying over 300 passengers. Paramedics on the scene are helping victims –"_

"911," Cristina stated, waving her pager to the other four interns. Izzie gaped unenthusiastically, her brown orbs slightly groggy with the lack of sleep, "We just worked a 30 hour shift!"

It was an unfortunate incidence that the train wreck happened to occur the night before Celia's day off. Much to Joe's frantic disapproval, and Mr. Handsome No-Name's cock-block, the five interns yanked the inebriated Latina from on top of unnamed and practically dragged her out of the bar – even though she was currently shitfaced, the ugly truth, was that all hands were needed on deck, _including_ , a drunken intern who could barely even recall her name.

"You're leaving? No, no, no, you _can't_!" Joe gaped in bewilderment, staring at the five worn-out interns, "You can't allow her to treat patients in her current condition. Look at her! She's completely hammered!" Sparing the friendly bar owner a couple of mindless giggles, Celia dopily grinned, "Sorry, gotta go tend to someone else's train wreck. Bye Mr. Handsome No-Name thanks for the buzz!"

"You are _un_ believable," Cristina stated, her face a combination of amusement and exasperation.

In general … people can be categorized in one of two ways; those who love surprises, and those who don't. As Celia drunkenly stumbled with the aid of her five co-interns into the hospital, blearily staring at the manifold of burnt, gory and bloody patients, Celia firmly planted herself in the category of 'those who hate surprises.' Like, _seriously_ , of all the days where a catastrophic event filled with awesome surgeries to occur, it _had_ to be the very night Celia decided to be shitfaced drunk, the night before her day off. Screw you Murphy, and your damn freaking Law!

George and Alex stood by the side in the interns locker room watching in concern as Meredith, Cristina and Izzie _tried_ to dress a giggling, hammered Celia, into her scrubs. A feat that took ten long-ass minutes! Yeah, Bailey will _not_ be pleased … no, actually, she'll probably crucify the Latina.

Once the hard task was complete, the six interns bustled, or in Celia's case, stumbled, toward the elevator. The Latina zoned out as an influx of conversation radiated in the closed space, thinking … she had never met a surgeon that enjoyed a surprise. _Why_ , you ask? Because, as surgeons, we like to be in the know; we _have_ to be in the know. We _hate_ the unknown, and stray as far away from it as possible. Because when we aren't, people die and lawsuits happen. Because, if she knew about this damn train wreck that was undoubtedly about to occur, then Celia would have postponed her date with José Cuervo for another night. Okay, enough rambling!

Following the other interns exploits, Celia blindly reached out for a yellow gown, only to have her hand rudely smacked away by a glaring Meredith, "Uh, no, you are _not_ assisting at the moment until you're sober. And when I mean sober, I mean, when you can _actually_ remember your name!"

Celia retorted by pouting, and to the surprise of Bambi and Blondie, adamantly stuck her tongue out; yeah, little known fact, whenever Celia got piss drunk, she kind of, probably, okay, _essentially_ , acted really immature and … ugh, _warm and bright!_ _Cute and cuddly!_ Take your pick; both are horrible dispositions, which is why Celia always made sure to get shitfaced on her day off. Until now …

"Why is everyone quiet all of a sudden?" Celia slurred, eliciting a few tittering giggles. Meredith and Alex grimaced as they observed the unadulterated shock visible on Bailey's mien. Shaking her head, the Nazi glared at Alex and addressed him, "Karev, go get me my damn shoes! Let's move people!"

Celia squealed and clapped her hands together in a perfect imitation of a toddler, "Ooh, the Nazi has arrived! Hell _oo_ , I seem to be a l _iii_ ttle bit drunk, _buuuut_ I was off duty," she pouted.

Inwardly, Bailey was terribly amused at the complete opposite disposition of the emotionless and stern intern, but outwardly, she was seething. "So was I!" and they all did a once over on her, taking in the beautiful lime-green dress and heels she was garbed in. Bailey glared at her other interns, and angrily demanded, "Anybody else half in the bottle?" Her response was a mute and rapid shake of the head, and she nodded, slightly mollified, "All right then. Chávez just stay out of the way. I'll deal with you later. The rest of you, stick with me and wait for your assignments. Now you get all a quiver at the sight of blood, and organs but it's gonna be a long night, and you're already tired. I don't want _any_ mistakes!"

Celia tried shadowing Bailey and the rest of the excited interns to the ER, staring in slight awe at the myriad of wounded patients.

"I'm _so not_ tired anymore," Cristina gasped in awe. George nodded rapidly, "Me neither. I'm not tired either!" But the most amusing reaction of all was the sloshed Celia, who crowed out in a squeal, "Hey! I remember my name now! Right on!"

Bailey groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, but otherwise, ignored the Latina intern for the moment, which was more than she could say for the rest of her interns, all of whom were desperately trying to repress their communal laughter. Addison made herself present at that exact moment, raising a perplexed eyebrow at the oddly beaming Celia before addressing an annoyed Bailey, "I've got a 3rd trimester burn victim here Dr. Bailey and I'm gonna need some help."

Although they all despised the redhead in moral support to their frigid Latina friend, Cristina, Izzie and George couldn't help but raise their hands up into the air immediately. Bailey's eyes lazily flickered over each of them before drawling out, "Uh, Izzie, go!"

"Damnit!" Cristina cussed, her shoulders sagging as the smug blonde departed with a flippant remark.

Watching the events occur with half a mind, Celia leaned against the wall, cursing José for the very first time in her twenty-six years of living, when Tyler approached her with a diminutive smirk, "Oh, hey, I was looking for you. Joe told me to tell you that McSteamy came looking for you, and Mr. No-Name asked about you."

"McSteamy?" Celia giggled, arching an eyebrow in surprise, "You mean McDreamy?"

Tyler grinned, "Nah, pretty sure it was McSteamy."

George, the incompetent idiot, chose to speak up, "Does that mean he picked her?" Cristina rolled her eyes and let out a groan of annoyance, "Bambi! Get it in your thick skull! Celia. Does. _Not._ Want. McDreamy. To. Pick. Her! How many times must we repeat that?"

"A couple more," George muttered under his breath, eyeing the drunken Latina in visible concern. An amusing debacle between Bambi and Cristina went full-scale as they began arguing vehemently over an amputated patient, and upon losing, he decided to keep the Latina company until he was assigned a patient.

Staring lifelessly at the happenings, Derek appeared in her line of vision and achieved eye contact before nodding slightly and disappearing from her midst. George spluttered in surprise, and blurted out, "Was that a nod?"

"Yes," Celia replied in utter boredom.

"Do we know what it meant?" George curiously asked, hoping to bring a little bit of light into her gloomy and drunken disposition. Shaking her head, Celia shrugged, "No."

Deciding to give one last try, "Do we care?"

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Celia sluggishly ruffled George's shaggy curls, "Not in the slightest."

Another patient wheeled by George for the umpteenth time that night, and George couldn't help but whine loudly in despondency, "Am I invisible?" Surprisingly eliciting a ringing laughter from the Latina – a genuine, honest to god laughter; Bambi grinned in success, pleased with himself for the remarkable feat.

Ok, so the point actually … and Celia really had one, _honestly_! It has nothing to do with surprises or death or lawsuits or even surgeons. The point is this: whoever said what you don't know can't hurt you was a complete and total moron. Because for most people Celia knows, not knowing is the worst feeling in the world.

A cacophony of frantic and rushed voices permeated the air around Celia and George as two people from the wreck – two unbelievable harmed patients – sitting on a gurney together with a freaking metal pole sticking through their abdomens, facing each other to the point of them almost hugging.

Celia's chocolate orbs stared wide-eyed from the middle aged African-American man, to the young blonde woman who looked to be in her early twenties, and she couldn't help but utter, " _Fuck_!"

Ok, fine, maybe not knowing is the second worst feeling in the world.

 ****GA****

The drunken haze was beginning to deteriorate as the Latina watched in gobsmacked awe as some of the best surgeons in the state tried in befuddlement, to detach the two individuals safely from the metal pole.

"You couldn't get a saw in there?" an alarmed Burke asked rapidly.

One of the paramedics, Jill, who brought them in, shook her head forlornly, "Not without moving them." Bailey nodded solemnly, "Which would have been a _very_ bad thing."

Meredith was luckily assigned to Burke's service, therefore, she'd be able to scrub in on a completely mind-boggling surgery, _and_ keep a wary eye on her inebriated best friend. Keeping an ear focused intently on the argument between Burke and Bailey, she kept an arm firmly looped with Celia's in support, when the blonde patient suddenly addressed them with a gentle smile, "Is this the craziest thing you ever seen?"

"Uh, … sorta," Meredith smiled sheepishly, not wanting to worry Bonnie. Celia snorted, and bluntly said, "Definitely," prompting her blonde twisted sister to nudge her in warning. Bonnie grinned though, not the least bit insulted, "Yeah, me too."

Burke and Bailey – who flashed Celia a warning glare, silently gesturing her to follow – ambled toward a corner, to speak in hushed tones without being overheard by the two stricken patients. Rubbing a weary hand over his face, Burke admitted, "They're _never_ gonna fit into CT. We're gonna be flying blind," he turned to address George, much to Alex' annoyance, "Get X-Rays and labs and page me _the minute_ you're done."

"Excuse me!" Bonnie called out from inside the trauma room, prompting them to rush inside. Burke smiled benignly, "Hi. I'm Dr. Burke. You shouldn't turn your head. Both of you should try to move as little as possible."

"Oh, ok," Bonnie smiled apologetically, "So … are you gonna pull this pole out of us anytime soon?" she asked hopefully. The African-American man, Tom, grinned, trying to make light of the situation, "It's a touch uncomfortable."

Burke smiled regretfully, "I'm sorry, we can't until we get a better look on what's going on internally. But I assure you, we _will_ work as quickly as possible."

"Well, in that case, does anybody have a breath mint?" Bonnie cheekily retorted, "Not for you, Tom. For _me_ ," she laughed.

Celia smirked slightly and whispered conspiratorially to Meredith as George cautiously wheeled them out for X-Ray, "Talk about a train wreck."

Meredith bobbed her head, eyes wide, "Makes our problems look juvenile in reflection, huh." Alex snorted, though his eyes were still glaring daggers into George's retreating back. Bailey's voice boomed over them, interrupting their chattering, "Alex, cover the E.R. You can go do sutures while you get over your new found fear of scalpels."

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, and repressing a crude retort, Alex rubbed Celia's back in a camaraderie fashion and stormed away. Celia arched an eyebrow toward an unimpressed Bailey, and with a silly smile, bluntly stated, "That was mean. Even for you!"

Bailey gave her a deadpanned look, her forehead burrowing in utmost annoyance, "You are drunk-"

"Actually," Meredith sheepishly interjected, "Drunk or not, Celia would have still told you that."

Bailey merely grunted in response, waving her hand in dismissal, "Go. Go get yourself a banana bag IV and put it in your arm. Grey, go assist her before she inserts it in the wrong vein, and then _both of you_ find me. Do _not_ speak to any more patients, Chávez and do _not_ practice any medicine!"

In a tipsy trance, Celia blathered, "Well, should I just go home?" Wow, if she were sober, then Celia would smack her head across a solid object at the mere thought of missing out on all the gore and bloodshed and the super-duper surgeries that came along with them.

"Well, unless you drank the whole liquor bottle, you'll be sober in a few hours. And the IV fluids will head off your hangover. _Then_ you can assist with the many mangled victims you see spread out before you," Bailey snapped, before adding an afterthought, "Besides, if I'm not going home, _nobody's_ going home." Walking away with a thundercloud over her head, the two twisted interns heard her grumbling indignantly to herself, "Ten years of marriage and I didn't even get to finish my damn lobster!"

Sighing sadly due to her best friend's wretched state, Meredith carefully placed an arm around the Latina, and softly crooned, "C'mon, CeCe, let's get that banana bag in you. Think of _all_ the beautiful bloody surgeries you're missing out on."

Trying to focus on her green-eyed friend, Celia huffed miserably, "Are you _trying_ to make me feel better? 'Cause really, Death, you suck at it and could do with a few pointers from Blondie."

"Oh, hush you. You're the one who had the brilliant idea of drinking the entire tequila bottle," Meredith pointed out with an amused smile. Celia glared indignantly, "It was my day OFF! Cry me a damn river here. Do I look psychic to you? How was I s'posed to know a train wreck would occur over my own train wreck!?"

"No comment."

 ****GA****

Like a handicapped granny, Celia was being carefully escorted by an amused Meredith along the hallways with her trusty banana bag, in hopes of walking off her hangover. Leaning against the wall awaiting the Nazi's instructions, Izzie paid them a visit, complaining vociferously about Satan.

"What kind of self-respecting surgeon wears salmon colored scrubs?" Izzie huffed, not really expecting an answer. Meredith grinned in complete agreement, "I was thinking the same thing."

"Ya know, the whole Addison Montgomery-Shepherd Bashing is really enthralling and all, but I don't really care much about her. Pink, purple, salmon, whatever, I don't like her," Celia whined before narrowing her eyes onto an amused Izzie, "And don't you dare get used to this Blondie, once I recover from my drunken state, I'll be back to Cruella De Vil, instilling fear in the hearts of every single individual in this damn hospital!"

"Has anyone seen a right leg?" an out of breath Cristina huffed and puffed, holding a stitch to her chest as her worried onyx orbs flashed toward each intern.

Celia snorted, "I can't even see my _own_ _two_ legs, and you're asking me if I've seen a random right leg?"

"Har-Har, not funny, Celia! The Chief spent hours cleaning up the leg and they turn out to be both left! I need that damn severed leg or I can say goodbye to my internship! The Chief is gonna cut me from this program. And I cannot go back home. I repeat _cannot._ It is too sunny in Los Angeles! It's sunny _every_ day!" Cristina screamed at the end of her diatribe, her hair crackling with energy. Izzie stared agape at the frazzled hardcore intern, devoid speechless while Meredith sniggered uncontrollably.

Cristina's predicament other than being completely hilarious, actually managed to help Celia achieve a small amount of sobriety; "Relax Cristina; the Chief won't fire you for that. It's not your fault, unless you were the one that picked the wrong amputated limb from the scene. Trust me, he'd probably moan and whine and make a small tantrum and yell your ears off, but that's it," she shrugged nonchalantly toward the end.

Frowning in puzzlement, Izzie asked, "How would you know?"

"He's my godfather, the dude practically raised me," Celia grinned, uncaring that she confided her secret in Blondie. Seriously, the truth always came out in the end, one way or another … the Latina's only regret was that she hoped to be sober to depict Izzie's flabbergasted face quite clearly.

"Your godfather?" Izzie squealed in surprise. Yup, hate, hate, _hate_ surprises.

"Is this social hour? Move, move, move!" Bailey bellowed. _What a Nazi_. Cristina and Blondie immediately skedaddled, and Bailey settled her glare on the two twisted sisters, "Alright, you two stay here out of the way, you hear me!"

"Yuppers," Celia chirped, leaning her head into the crook of Meredith's neck, just as Derek walked in, his blue-blue eyes halting and widening from Celia's bedraggled state to the banana bag attached to her arm. His sexy baritone voice spoke up in utmost concern, "What happened?"

Celia stared blankly in return, prompting Meredith to awkwardly reply, lest the Latina blurted something she would deeply regret later on, "Uh, tequila. Lots and _lots_ of tequila." Derek nodded sadly, not once averting eye-contact with the glassy chocolate orbs of the woman he loved.

"I'm keeping my eye on her," Bailey assured straightforwardly. Derek sighed in defeat, and nodded again before focusing his unwavering attention on the intricate X-Ray scans of Bonnie and Tom; a moment later, a loud whistle filled with disbelief emanated from his mouth and he whipped his head to stare bewilderly at the other surgeons in the room, "Look at this! These people are _still_ alive?"

"They're still making small talk," George helpfully revealed.

"Pole's tamponading the wound as far as we can see," Bailey complied; returning his focus back to the dumfounding X-Ray, Derek said, "It's hitting the aorta."

Announcing his observation, Burke pointed at the X-Ray, "And look at him. It's right in line with his inferior vena cava." Celia grimaced; even in her drunken state, her ingenious mind was whirring with activity as she blocked out the swarm of voices permeating the room. The effects of José were slowly departing her system and just as Burke, Bailey and Derek began arguing over the best way to work _around_ the pole, Celia, to everyone's genuine surprise, spoke up in a rare moment of sobriety.

"Removing the pole would cause them to bleed out. The only method in garnering a small successful survival rate is by _removing_ either Bonnie or Tom off the pole to get the saw in there."

A ringing silence filled with awe, admiration, amazement and horror met the intoxicated intern's words. Burke was, beyond a doubt, visibly impressed over the drunk intern's moment of clear-headedness; Bailey and Derek stared agape at the Latina, unable to convey any words to express their astonishment, and George was tongue-tied. Meredith was the first person to recover usage of her vocal cord, "But then-, one of them would probably die."

Bailey cleared her throat and placed both hands on her hips, "You're not drunk anymore, Chávez?"

Smiling innocently, Celia giggled and chirped, "Oh no, I'm still as drunk as a skunk." Eyebrows raised impressively and Burke stammered, "B-But, how-"

"Celia's mind works in mysterious ways," Meredith interjected, too used to explaining the enigma that depicted her best friend to many mystified others, "Even though she's drunk, it doesn't stop her from being a pure genius!" she smirked proudly at the foolishly smiling Latina. Ignoring the stupefied silence and impressed gazes toward the Latina intern –including his own – George whirled around to face the two flabbergasted Attendings and his stumped Resident, and in an agitated voice, uttered, "Who? Which would you move?"

Knowing that Chávez' deduction had merit, Burke exhaled a forlorn sigh, and after a quick perusal of the X-Ray scans, imparted, "With her aortic injuries, her chances of survival are extremely slim, no matter what we do. _But_ if we move her, we have a real shot of saving him."

"Well," Derek paused in thought, scrutinizing the scans, "I could argue since her injuries are so extensive we should move him. Give her the best shot we can."

Making herself known ever since Celia's shocking moment of sobriety, Meredith piped up, "So basically, whoever you move _doesn't_ stand a chance?" every pair of eyes glanced at her, unsettled by her morbid deduction, "So how do you choose? How do you _decide_ who gets to live?"

Again, Meredith's inquiry was met with silence; Celia chuckled bitterly, "Don't you hate it when you're at a stalemate."

 ****GA****

"Dr. Chávez, go get a blood alcohol test before practicing any medicine tonight. After your shockingly lucid observation, I think you're clean," Bailey informed the Latina before addressing Meredith, "Grey, walk with her."

Meredith grinned as she looped arms with Celia, "I miss this. Us taking care of each other's drunk asses. Reminds me of Europe."

Celia grimaced, though a hint of wistfulness could be detected on her mien, "You and I remember Europe much differently. Most of my sober moments are of me hauling your drunk ass to the hotel room." Scoffing, Meredith playfully nudged her shoulder, "It's not my fault you have a high tolerance of alcohol. Your tequila consumption is like a fish to water, so shush."

"Dr. Chávez…" the voice that could melt butter called out and slowly, the two interns turned to face an awkward yet devastated Derek Shepherd. Ignoring Meredith's presence, Derek softly said in a hushed tone, "I- uh, I went to Joe's…"

"I know. Tyler told me," Celia thanked the Lord and all that was Holy that she was finally able to think straight and converse like a normal person, "Did you sign the divorce papers?" she asked nonchalantly; even if he didn't, Celia was never going to entertain the mere thought of having any relations with him, even a no-strings-attached dalliance … in love with him, she may be, Celia Chávez _did_ _not_ _date_ , and the best solution was for them to maintain a professional relationship and move the hell on, for crying out loud.

"No," he whispered; the Latina would deny it, but her heart shattered at the simple two-lettered confession, but she bravely tightened her hold on Meredith and forced a smile onto her visage, "Good. I hope you two are able to work things out, Dr. Shepherd. Death," she whipped around to face her sorrowful twisted sister who wasn't fooled the least bit by her indifference, "Let's get this blood test over and done with."

Derek Shepherd watched the woman he was irrevocably in love with, walk away from him with effortless ease for the umpteenth time, batting him away as though he were an irksome fly. Thinking over the heartfelt goodbye Celia bid him earlier, Derek knew that even though his actions toward her was immoral, he was in all actuality, a moral man and he couldn't bring himself to throw away eleven years of marriage with Addison without giving it one last shot … something the shrewd Latina speculated. Months of trying to win the emotionless intern's affections and finally, he woke up to the harsh bitter truth … Celia Chávez would never accept him in her life. He could either reject Addison and fruitlessly try and make things work with Celia … to no avail, _or_ , he could try and make things work with his wife, a woman who had been there for him through all the good times, and the bad.

One thing was for certain, Derek would never be able to move on from the undeniable love he felt toward the frigid Latina … he just had to learn to live with a broken heart.

"Please tell me you've seen a right leg. A _cleanly_ _severed_ right leg?" a frazzled Cristina asked upon locating Meredith and George congregated around Celia, trying to take a sample of her blood.

"You already asked us before, Cristina, remember?" Celia snorted; Cristina groaned and hurried off without another word, continuing her frugal treasure hunt.

Smiling at a bewildered George, Meredith quipped, "How weird is this job?"

"Weird," George stated in a whisper before leaving them by their lonesome. At that moment, Alex stormed over to join the twisted sisters by the open doorway outside the Blood Labs and he groused out, "Addison is a bitch! She's Satan's whore!"

"What happened?" Celia sympathetically inquired. Anyone who faced off Satan deserved her utmost sympathy, after all.

Huffing, Alex snarled, "She yelled at me in front of a patient!"

"So did you yell back?" Meredith asked in interest, only to receive a negative shake of the head. " _Dude_ , you lost your mojo," she exclaimed. Alex raised an eyebrow in retort, and after exhaling a frustrated sigh, confided in his two dark and twisted friends, "O'Malley plugs a hole with his finger and everyone walks around like he's some kind of hero. I have _one_ off day-"

"You chickened out," Celia interrupted with her methodical brutal honesty, prompting a dry chuckle out of Alex, "I hesitated … _briefly_."

Once again, a hysterical Cristina dashed by them, yelling out in a panic, "It's _not_ in the morgue. I've looked in the ambulances and the E.R. How's one bloody hairy leg gonna destroy my career?!" And with those strangely peculiar parting words, she ran off without waiting for a reply.

Alex, Meredith and Celia chanced a gander at one another before erupting into bouts of laughter.

"Seriously, this job is so damn weird!" Meredith reiterated her previous statement in between chuckles.

 ****GA****

"Well?" Bailey stared from one smiling intern to the other as she dried her hands before entering the OR.

"My labs are in. Completely sober," Celia relayed solemnly; Meredith bobbed her head in agreement from beside her. Bailey nodded practically, "Both of you scrub in, and do it fast!" As the two interns began washing up, they overheard Bailey mutter forlornly to herself, "Why do I feel like we're about to kill this girl?"

Derek ambled inside, his blue-blue eyes boring sadly into the back of Celia's head as she adamantly ignored his presence; just as the three of them were about to enter the OR, Bailey's panicked voice boomed out, "Dr. Shepherd, she's crashing!"

"What happened?" Derek demanded.

Dr. Adams gazed wide-eyed at the unconscious Bonnie, "I just put them under."

"The pole must have shifted," Derek sighed in frustration. Dr. Adams lifted his hands up in a defensive manner, "I barely touched her. This isn't my fault!"

"It's nobody's fault," Burke interjected calmly, "We'll need to remove her now if we're going to have a chance."

Distributing the surgeons into two teams, George was ordered to hold the pole in a steady place while Team one stabilized Tom's body, and Team two moved Bonnie back and got the saw to work. They successfully managed to relocate Tom and Bonnie onto an operating table each and began working vigilantly.

Unfortunately, Bonnie had little to no chance of survival and proceeded bleeding out rapidly; the surgeons were all left with no choice but to move on to Tom and help save one patient with a fighting chance. Meredith was visibly upset and got sucked into an indignant tantrum, and wouldn't budge on leaving Bonnie's body.

" _We can't just abandon her_!" Meredith screamed hysterically as she tried reviving Bonnie's heart, to no avail. Bailey spared her intern a mien of compassion, "Let go, Dr. Grey!" She shook her head and stubbornly pumped Bonnie's heart, and in a unified manner, all eyes flickered toward Celia, who was hands deep in Tom's chest, currently assisting Dr. Burke.

"Celia!" Bailey yelled, nudging her head toward her hysterical best friend. Grimacing slightly, Celia abandoned Tom's unconscious form and slowly approached the tearful Meredith. "Mer… Death, come on, look at me, _Death_ , _look at me_!" Meredith's red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained face snapped to meet a sorrowful Celia, "She's gone, Mer, there was too much damage, we couldn't do anything, and Bonnie _knew_ that. You have to let her go."

There was a disconcerting silence in the OR as they all waited for Meredith to slowly release Bonnie; Bailey sighed sadly before stating, "Time of death, 3:49."

The loss of Bonnie struck them all deeply, even though they managed to save Tom. Losing one brave patient who accepted death for a complete stranger's survival rate was a tough pill to swallow. Bonnie, a young vibrant girl who had barely seen all that life had to offer, a girl who was happily engaged and died before her wedding day … it hit them all hard.

"Did she ah … did she suffer?" Celia and Meredith overheard Derek inform Bonnie's fiancé, Danny, of her untimely death; the Latina made sure to keep a supportive arm around her distraught friend, who for some reason took Bonnie's death personally.

Derek sighed sadly and shook his head slowly, "No. Her injuries prevented her from … no, she wasn't in any pain. She, uh," in a strangled voice filled with heavy emotions, Derek articulated, "She asked me ah to … tell you that, she wanted you to know, that if love were enough … that if love were enough that she'd still be here with you."

A pair of miserable blue-blue eyes connected with sorrowful chocolate browns … no words were needed to convey all the unspoken words that desired to be said, but were forced to stay hidden. Celia shook her head and turned her back on the man who stole her cold, shriveled up heart, unable to maintain eye-contact any longer.

As surgeons, there are so many things we have to know. We have to know what it takes, we have to know how to take care of our patients, and how to take care of each other. Eventually, we even have to figure out how to take care of ourselves. As surgeons, we have to be in the know, but as human beings, sometimes it's better to stay in the dark; because in the dark, there may be fear … but there's also hope.

Trudging her lucid ass toward the locker room, a devastatingly familiar voice chuckled from behind her, "You look like hell. How's internship treating ya, CeCe?"

Frozen in place, the Latina slowly, almost cautiously, whipped around only to stare agape at the mischievous orbs twinkling at her, paired off with the familiar cheeky grin. Her heart fluttered with many sentimental emotions and her heart soared as excitement and relief bubbled up in her insides.

" _Ian_?"

 **A/N:** **Cliffhanger? Hmm … SORRY! XD**

 **Did you guys enjoy my portrayal of Drunk Celia? I enjoyed writing her with a completely different personality … too bad it ain't permanent. I am sorry there weren't many Delia scenes, but I couldn't include them in this chapter … maybe next one! ;)**

 **Did you enjoy this chapter? Please say yes! XD… Oh, and BTW; in canon, Alex stole Cristina's amputated leg and scrubbed in on the surgery with the Chief … in this chapter, I didn't show it, but Alex gave the leg to Cristina (I mean, they may be cut-throat, but Alex is Cristina's friend early on in my story, and I cannot imagine him backstabbing her like that!)**

 **Ian … who is he? Guess, guess, GUESS! Until next time! XD**

 **R &R.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 16:**

Communication. It's the first thing you really learn in life.

Gossip on the other hand, it's a nasty habit you learn later on in life. Frivolous words and verbal defamations traded amongst people usually to stir up trouble or to hide the fact that they have no life, no meaning, no purpose, but to tear somebody else down until their reputation is in tatters. In Seattle Grace, the hypocrisy of those that entertain gossip-mongering is overwhelming, but Celia Chávez had long ago practiced the art of ignoring and giving as good as she gets. And long ago, the Latina realized that those who discuss other people openly, _definitely_ has something to hide.

"She didn't even know he was married. I mean, his wife just shows up and he dumps her. I heard she _flipped_ out," one of the female interns, Lana something, muttered to her friend Clara in the locker room.

Clara scoffed in retort, "What does she expect? She got what she deserved. Dating an Attending!"

"Dating McDreamy," Lana arched a brow, "Have you _seen_ his hair? No guy is _that_ perfect." A male intern, Josh, intervened, joining the fray of inane gossipers, "I think it's kinda sad. She has to work here, with him. With _them. Everyone_ knows."

Meredith, Cristina, Izzie and George tried, key word, _tried_ , holding Celia back, but she easily brushed them off and appeared in front of the three interns who suddenly blanched at her sudden presence and close proximity. The Latina gave them her famous glacier glare, her lips pursed tightly in a thin line, "You know what _I_ think is sad? How the fact that you three interns are more deft in the art of gossiping, instead of practicing medicine. If you want to speak crassly about me behind my back, then learn your facts, _darlings_ ," she cooed phonily in a honeyed tone, reveling in the palpable fear emanating from them; she was after all, Cruella De Vil, they should have known better. "You know what? I'm feeling generous today, so I'm gonna let you three off with a warning, and since you three enjoy partaking in spreading words around, I'll leave it up to you to pass on my warning. _Whoever_ decides to shout out words of deception behind my back," she chuckled darkly, "Well, let's just say it will be something they will sorely come to regret, so… run along, _shoo!_ "

The three interns scuttled away from her and ran out of the locker room with their tails tucked between their legs, and Cristina's laughter echoed around the room, "Nice. Definitely get why they call you Cruella De Vil around here."

Celia scoffed and walked toward the door, "If those bitches want to gossip about the whole Shepherd fiasco, the least they could do is get their facts straight. I didn't _date_ Derek, and he _wasn't_ the one to break things off."

 _Bastard!_

Funny thing is once we grow up, learn our words and really start talking; the harder it becomes to know what to say or how to ask for what we really need.

Celia scrutinized Meredith, Cristina and Izzie once Bailey was busy yapping with George, probably relieving her frustrations by yelling at him … as usual; but digressing, the three girls looked … _off_ , like they had a coveted secret or something of the sort tucked inside their sleeves. Just as the Latina went to follow the Nazi, Izzie halted her in her tracks.

"Okay you three, what's going on?" Celia bluntly asked, and her suspicions were finally confirmed when they each bestowed her the deer caught in the headlight look. Arching an eyebrow, the Latina smoothly continued, "You may have tricked Bambi and the Nazi, but I excelled long ago in reading Death's facial expressions, and I _know_ when she's hiding something from me. So, spill."

Meredith shook her head in fond exasperation, rolled her eyes and nudged Cristina forward, "Ah hmm. Hey so ok, you're right, and I don't know why I'm surprised, but anyway, after rounds _we_ have something to show _you_."

"We guarantee it will get your mind off those blithering cows who are spreading nasty lies about you and McDreamy," Izzie added perkily in resemblance to a peppy cheerleader.

Celia faced Meredith questionably, and the dirty blonde immediately joined in. "I promise, you'll love it," she grinned.

Trusting Meredith explicitly, the Latina nodded compliantly, "Alright I'm trusting you three, and I really hope it won't be a repetition of the other times you broke the rules and nearly got me in trouble with the Nazi-"her pager beeped at that moment, and so, Celia unfortunately failed to see the three interns trade sheepish glances. "I got to go, uh, I'll be back in a bit." And to their surprise, a genuine smile appeared on the frigid Latina's visage, but before they managed to question her peculiar mood, she disappeared into the elevator and out of sight.

Ignoring the plethora of pitying, disappointed and envious glances being shot at her person, Celia impatiently rushed down to the ground floor, and her face lit up brightly, so unlike her.

A gorgeous man in his early thirties was leaning against the wall a bit away from the elevator with his muscled arms folded against his athletic chest and his ankles crossed. He had messy light brown hair, a well-shaven face and sparkling cobalt blue eyes that lit ablaze when he met the oddly twinkling chocolate brown orbs.

"IAN!" Celia shrieked cheerfully, indifferent toward anyone seeing her act less than professional and like her frigid persona, the Latina ran like the wind and jumped into his open arms, her rare musical giggles permeating the air as Ian spun her around in wide dizzying circles. Keeping his strong chiseled arms wound tightly around her curvaceous and skinny waist, cobalt blue eyes roamed over her body fondly, "CeCe, look at you, you haven't changed much since I last saw you."

Scoffing playfully, Celia teasingly said, "You saw me six months ago, Ian, there wasn't exactly much time for me to sprout a foot or tentacles or whatever."

"Tentacles or whatever?" Ian chuckled good-naturedly in his husky yet boyish tone. "I see you still lack proper humor, CeCe."

"Dr. Chávez?" a shocked feminine voice gasped from behind her. Celia clenched her eyes shut in annoyance and after exhaling an annoyed breath, she slowly turned around, grateful that Ian kept his protective arms around her; he always made her feel undeniably safe, just with his mere presence. Turning around, the Latina intern forced a smile at Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, barely sparing a glance at the shocked and red-faced Derek whose blue-blue eyes never once detached from Ian's arms around her waist and their close, relaxed proximity to each other.

"Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd. Dr. Shepherd," Celia acknowledged them brusquely, keeping a minimum of professionalism in her annoyed tone. Hallelujah for Ian, that man didn't have an awkward bone in his body, and he chuckled aloud, "CeCe, how about we go up. You're gonna be late for rounds, and I want to stop by Richard's office until your break."

Quietly, the four of them entered the elevator, and after a few seconds of tormented thoughts of the new man by Celia's side, Derek couldn't take it anymore and spoke up, "So, Celia, who's your … _friend_?" She couldn't help but to roll her eyes; _honestly_ , she was wondering how long he'd be able to keep his mouth shut. Throwing him a blank stare, she said, "It's _Dr._ Chávez, Dr. Shepherd. This is Ian Chamberlain, Ian this is Dr. Derek Shepherd and his wife, Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, they are both Attendings here and… my bosses."

Ian smirked; of course, Celia confided in him of the whole sordid affair with Derek who they called McDreamy; of how she met him in a pub and later discovered him to be her boss, which he had a fucking good laugh about, much to Celia's annoyance. But he was also enraged at the neurosurgeon's deceit over his marital status, especially after his CeCe continuously rejected him and tried keeping their relationship platonic. "Right, of course, CeCe here told you me all about you-"

"Ian!" Celia snapped warningly; honestly, she didn't know why she thought he'd keep his mouth shut; he barely lasted a minute. Ian was and will _always_ _be_ extremely protective over her, with her history and her being the baby in the family, it would ever change.

Addison shifted uncomfortably but Derek on the other hand, forced a smile, "I thought you don't date, or was that a lie?" Scowling at him, Celia was about to give him a vicious tongue-thrashing about _who the real liar was_ , but Ian stopped her by furrowing her deeper against his chest, succeeding in enraging Derek even more than before.

"Derek, was it?" Ian drawled nonchalantly, "You have a lot of nerve to accuse CeCe of being the liar when you were the one to lie about your marital status. Now listen here, I am not going to tolerate any of you two Shepherds in bring CeCe into your marital spats, you got it? I'm sticking around for a while, and believe me, I'm not opposed to making things really messy."

"Now wait a minute, just who do you think you are?" Addison snapped, not liking the way Celia's new boy toy was threatening her and her husband so openly. Ian smiled coldly at her, a vast difference from his usual cheerful visage, "I'm CeCe's eldest brother, so I think I have _every_ damn right to defend my baby sister's honor! Especially to you two."

" _Your sister_?" both Shepherd's gaped in astonishment.

 _Well damn. Guess the cat's out of the bag now._

 ****GA****

Looking distinctively ruffled, Celia didn't stop running through the halls until she was a hairsbreadth away from Bailey who looked to be in the middle of an argument with Alex, who apparently arrived late for rounds. The second the Latina was within sight, the Nazi whipped around to face her with an impressive scowl on her face, " _And you_. What excuse do you have for missing out on rounds?"

"Uh, sorry, Dr. Bailey," Celia apologized after managing to catch her breath, "My brother is here on a visit and I was showing him the way to the Chief's office."

" _Your_ _brother_?" Bailey looked taken aback, losing all hostility in her tone and expression. Simultaneously, Alex, Cristina and Izzie gasped out, "Brother?" "I didn't know you had a brother."

Celia wasn't one to converse about her personal life, but knowing that she had no choice, what with Ian blurting out the truth to the Shepherds, and sticking around in Seattle for god knows how long, the truth would inevitably come out. "Yeah, I have two older step-brothers from my mother's marriage, whatever. My eldest brother is here for a visit, I'm sorry, I tried to find you before I went to drop him off at the Chief's."

"Never mind," Bailey waved her apology off, recovering from the shock; Celia Chávez was an enigma to all, and it was commonly known that only the Chief and Meredith Grey knew nearly everything about her than anyone else. She whipped around to glare at the three girls, "You three however! Brush up on how to _not_ embarrass me in front of the Attendings or I'll see to it that your hearts stop beating. We clear?"

Meredith, Cristina and Izzie murmured apologies with their heads bowed down.

"Good, Celia, you're with them today, since you missed out on rounds. Go, skedaddle!" Meanwhile, Bailey made her way to the Chief's office; it wasn't the fact that she didn't believe the Latina, merely, the Nazi was extremely curious of the mysterious brother.

"Why didn't you tell us you have a brother?" Izzie demanded in offense. Before Celia could snappishly retort that it wasn't any of her business, Meredith squealed, jumping up and down like a lunatic, and very unlike herself – yeah, Ian has that effect on most people -, "Ian is here?! I can _not_ _wait_ to see him. So _he_ was the boy you were hiding in your room, I thought you snagged someone from Joe's bar."

"Nah, Ian wanted to surprise you, but he ruined that when he gave Derek and Addison a tongue-thrashing in his overprotective big brother mode," Celia smirked, walking down the staircase with the other three who were adamant in keeping their destination a surprise.

Meredith winced, but nevertheless, had a sinister smile on her mien, "Good luck, McDreamy."

"He can't be that bad, can he?" an interested Cristina inquired. Meredith faithfully shook her head, "Nope. Actually, Ian is the complete opposite of Celia, like ice and fire, cold and hot, a glacier and an inferno-"

"They get it!" Celia snapped with humor.

"Right, getting off track," Meredith sheepishly smiled, prompting Izzie and Cristina to snicker, "But Ian is a very laidback guy, but whenever it comes to Celia, him and Neal, her other brother, they're extremely overprotective over her. Ian can flip the switch so easily and basically destroy anyone that dares to harm his little CeCe," Meredith smirked, eliciting a sharp nudge from Celia's elbow.

"Anyways, enough about my personal life. Where exactly are you three taking me?" Celia reminded them of the current situation in hand, snapping Cristina and Izzie from their moment of curiosity.

"Right," Cristina cleared her throat; the three girls spun a bottle over which one of them would do all the talking since none of them were looking forward to receiving Celia's wrath at breaking yet another hospital rule. "We found a case-"

"You mean, you _stole_ a case," Celia scowled, interjecting the Korean immediately, not liking where this was going. Waving her hand dismissively and basically trying not to shit her pants, Cristina hastily continued, " _Borrowed_ from psych. Okay the prelims on this thing is _totally_ unprecedented."

Recovering her peppy cheerleading visage, Izzie smiled showing off all white teeth, "And we found it!"

" _Stole it_ ," Celia scowled yet again, pointing out the _lovely_ fact that the three of them were choosing to dismiss. Cristina narrowed her onyx orbs and huffed, "Found. Stole. Hijacked. Whatever." They finally halted in their tracks and Meredith walked forward, placing both arms on her angry best friend's shoulder, "Okay, Celia. Behind _this_ door is the _coolest_ medical mystery we have _ever_ seen."

Celia obediently, and with a small amount of trepidation, followed the three palpably excited crazy interns down the hallway until they were standing right outside a patient's room. With her hand on the door handle, Cristina hesitantly spoke up, "Now, you can either walk away, guilt free… _or_ walk through this door, risk your place in the program which could possibly lead to spending the rest of your life serving fries in bad clothing."

"But with the Chief being your godfather, we doubt it," Izzie shrugged, ignoring Meredith's warning glare, knowing that Celia hated being framed with favoritism. Before a fight could break out, Cristina rapidly asked, "So… are you in?"

Celia arched an eyebrow and flickered her chocolate orbs from the flushed face of Cristina and Izzie to the sneaky grin of Meredith, who said, "CeCe, believe me. You trust me, and with that trust, I'm gonna go right there and say, you will definitely regret walking away."

"Oh what the hell. I'm in," Celia groused out in defeat. She stayed behind them as Cristina called out for a Mr. Herman who was mostly hidden from view by a curtain.

A weary yet friendly voice that obviously belonged to Mr. Herman spoke up in between tired grunts, "Oh no, please call me Shane. I gotta hit the can. _Again_. Seems like I gotta go every thirty seconds these days."

Frowning in confusion, Celia muttered, "It's just a guy."

"Wait for it," Meredith hissed from the corner of her mouth, never once taking her green orbs from Shane Herman. "I sure am glad to be off that psych floor," Shane sighed as he tried getting up on his feet. Walking over to the bathroom, he announced in weariness, "I'm not nuts. I'm just pregnant."

And Bingo!

Celia's eyes widened perceptibly on the very swollen, obviously pregnant stomach of the _man_. Stunned, the Latina only managed to murmur out for only the three other interns' ears, "Oh yeah. This is _definitely_ worth breaking the rules and facing the Nazi's wrath."

Meredith grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she sang out, " _We told you so_!"

 ****GA****

"I was fine and then, last month, _huge belly_ ," Shane groaned, gesturing to his swollen womb for visual effect, "My doctor kept telling me I was gaining weight with my wife. She's due on the 30th. It's her first."

"Congratulations," Meredith grinned, while Izzie and Cristina poked and prodded his stomach and Celia listened through a stethoscope. Turning to face the other three, the Latina asked in disbelief, "So, you're telling me, that the admitting intern shipped him off to Psych, _without_ even doing a physical?"

"Uh-huh," Izzie murmured, "Feel that," she gestured to his womb, "It's not fluid."

"Oh yeah, there's definitely something in there," Cristina vehemently nodded in agreement.

Shane grimaced, but was pleased that some doctors were taking him seriously and not listing him off as insane, "Yeah, no joke. There's something in there. I've been able to feel it getting bigger and bigger, growing in my … _you_ _know_ … my womb," he said timidly.

"How about you take this pregnancy test, Mr. Herman," Celia smiled understandingly, handing him the test. Just as Shane walked into the toilet, the prudish annoying elder nurse, Debbie, barged in and Cristina immediately whipped the curtain close to cover Shane from her narrowed beady eyes.

"This room is supposed to be unoccupied. Whose patient is this?" Debbie demanded in a stern voice.

In unison, Meredith, Cristina and Izzie pointed to each other and blurted out, "Hers!" Debbie shook her head in disapproval, raising a judging eye on Celia who sneered back, "Who transferred him? I don't have any paperwork, any transfer documents."

Rudely, Cristina dismissed her, showing no respect whatsoever, "Give me a break. We shuffle rooms all the time. You know if ah, we need a bedpan changed, um, we'll let you know."

Debbie's face abruptly morphed into a forced smile and in a sugary voice, said, "Okay doctor, you do that." The second she left, Celia whipped around and glared at them, "You steal a patient and then don't take the chart? Are you certifiably insane or do you merely have a death wish?"

"That was your job," Cristina snapped at Izzie, who gasped in offense and snappishly retorted, "Yeah, I was on lookout." Breaking up the argument that was no doubt bout to occur, Celia matter-of-factly stated, "You know what forget it. Cristina, you have a bigger problem to worry about than stealing a patient." Receiving a confused tilt of the head from the Korean, the Latina huffed and clarified in an obvious tone, "You just insulted a nurse, and not just _any_ nurse, but one the head ones. Ian once did the same when he was an intern, and he suffered for a week until his Resident put a stop to it."

"I didn't know your brother was a surgeon," Izzie frowned in confusion. Waving a hand in dismissal, Celia stated, "Yeah, he's now a cardiothoracic Attending in Cedars-Sinai in L.A. where my stepdad is Chief of Surgeon, but that's not the poi-"

"Woah! Hold on, your stepfather is Noah Chamberlain? _The_ Noah Chamberlain?! Dude! He's one of the _best_ and highly-demanded neurosurgeons in the freaking _planet_! You come from a family of surgeons, too!" Cristina breathed out in awe, staring at Celia as though she was some divine goddess on an altar. But before another word could be traded, now that the Latina's origin of surgeons was out in the open, the psych intern, Raj appeared in the room glaring at Meredith, enraged, "You stole my chart!"

Oh yeah, apparently while Cristina and Blondie were arguing over stealing the chart, Meredith failed to inform them that she had already stolen it before. To eloquently put it; _they were doomed._

 ****GA****

"Preston, I'd like you to meet someone," Richard beamed; Burke turned his head diminutively and found his curiosity spike at the handsomely groomed man who looked to be made out of a billion dollars, walking alongside the Chief, and they looked to be in immensely friendly terms.

"Chief," Burke nodded politely, before flickering his coffee orbs inquiringly toward the younger man, "Who's this?" But the handsome man grinned devilishly at him, and politely extended his hand out for a handshake, "Ian Chamberlain. It's a privilege to meet you Dr. Burke. I've heard _great_ things about you."

Raising his eyebrows, recognition shone in coffee orbs and he instantly shook the offered hand, "Yes, I've heard of you. Graduated from Cedars-Sinai, top of the class, you're a Cardiothoracic Attending there where you father, Noah Chamberlain is the Chief of Surgery and renowned Neurosurgeon. What brings you to Seattle?" His question was mostly meant for the Chief, and he hoped that Richard wasn't planning on inducting him into Seattle Grace and stealing his spot.

Jubilant laughter emanated from Ian's full lips, almost as though he knew where Burke's thoughts were drifting to, "Relax, I've no interest in moving here. Nah," he leisurely placed both hands into his front pockets, "I'm visiting a friend for a business proposition, and luckily he moved to Seattle where my baby sister is, so I'm killing two birds with one stone."

"Oh, do I know your sister?" Burke asked politely, unable to conceal the relief from his tone, and could now entertain conversation with him and the Chief, knowing that his job wasn't being threatened.

With a secretive smirk, Richard chuckled, "Actually you do, Preston. It's Celia Chávez."

Shock was the main emotion on Burke's visage as he unattractively gaped at the Chief before staring into the twinkling cobalt blue orbs that were filled with mischief, "But-, how? She's registered here as Dr. Chávez, not Chamberlain."

"Ah, CeCe is my stepsister. Her mother married my dad before her tenth birthday. Despite the fact we're not related by blood, she's still family and genetics have no say," Ian shrugged nonchalantly, but Burke could see that there was a deep sibling bond between them. Now the rumors made sense; many interns and nurses were scuttling around in fear; apparently not only was Celia scaring them off with their gossiping about her and Shepherd, but rumors of a devastatingly handsome man threatening a group of nurses who were speaking abysmally about Chávez being a gold-digging whore sleeping her way into the program, reached his ears. At first he thought the stranger was an old fling or boyfriend, but now, looking at the intimidating face of Ian Chamberlain, he knew better, and there was no doubt that this man would raise hell on earth if anybody messed with his little sister who had been dubbed the formidable moniker of Cruella De Vil due to her frigid disposition.

Richard clapped his hands jovially, "The reason we're here, Preston. Word around is that you've got a patient in for a beating heart quadruple CABG, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind allowing Ian to observe and maybe assist in the surgery."

"Not at all," Burke replied with genuine honesty, "I'd be honored to have you in my team."

Ian grinned before casually checking the time on his Rolex, "Well, I'm going to search for my CeCe. Dr. Burke, pleasure meeting you, I see Celia was right about you. Rich, I'll see you later." Once the intimidating Chamberlain walked off, an amused Burke addressed the fond Chief, "What exactly did Dr. Chávez say about me?"

Hiding his amusement, Richard innocently replied, "Oh, just that you're a hardcore surgeon who despite showing everyone that you lack a heart, you're a very benevolent man. See you, Preston," and with one last clap on his shoulder, Burke was left behind to mull over the enigmatic Latina intern who grew up around a family of skilled surgeons and a billionaire stepfather. Try as he might, he just couldn't imagine the cold, frigid intern growing up around the jubilant, boyish and cheerful Ian Chamberlain he just met.

 ****GA****

"That is _my_ patient!" Raj screeched in outrage, just as Shane's bewildered pregnant wife walked into the room. Izzie gulped, her face resembling a child whose hand got caught in the cookie jar. Cristina however, stood tall and narrowed her eyes on him, unwilling to back down, "Yeah, well he's _ours_ now. And if you want to fight me for it, I'll guarantee you, I'll win."

To make things worse, none other than Bailey barged into the room, a thundercloud metaphorically hanging over her head, "Now, what is going on in here?"

"Dr. Bailey, look at his abdomen!" Meredith immediately addressed her, pointing at the bewildered Shane.

"It's a male hysterical pregnancy," Raj yelled out in indignation as he approached the patient, "It's a psych case, and it's _mine_!" he snapped possessively, slapping Shane's stomach.

" _Hey_!" an enraged Celia shouted, glaring daggers at the psych intern, "You don't manhandle patients, Gandi! What the hell kind of hovel did you learn your social manners from?"

"It's _Raj_ ," he sneered, but Celia waved him away, "I don't care! You don't act aggressive towards a patient, no matter what fucked up disposition you're in!"

"Dr. Chávez!" Bailey scolded. Shane, bless the man, chose to yell out at that exact moment, "I'm _not_ hysterical, I'm _pregnant!_ "

Raj gleefully pointed his hand at Shane, "See? Psych!"

"No," Cristina immediately rebutted, "His belly is distended. There's no signs of ascites and I clearly feel a mass with deep palpation. _Surgical!_ "

In the midst of all the yelling and arguing where Cristina and Raj entered a gigantic pissing contest, Izzie kept trying, and dismally failing, to attain everybody's attention. "Eh, come on now. You're doctors, act like it," Bailey snapped, staring wide-eyed at the collective group of screaming interns.

Finally having had enough, Izzie whistled and yelled at the top of her lungs, "GUYS!" breathing a sigh of relief when they all finally gave her their complete attention. Slowly, almost dramatically, Izzie pointed her index finger at the innocent stick lying on the table, "Shane took the pregnancy test Celia gave him, and it's positive."

Shock ensued, but Celia and Cristina reveled in shooting a disappointed Raj a smug, pointed glare. Bailey cleared her throat and recovered from the shocking result before announcing, "He's definitely a surgical patient now."

After Bailey's declaration, it didn't take long for word to spread via the rumor mill of Seattle Grace, that a pregnant man had been admitted, and a horde of staff members unashamedly huddled around a bewildered and suffocated Shane, snapping pictures and touching his swollen womb. Much to Celia's _utter_ _joy_ – note the _heavy_ sarcasm, Addison was called in for a consult and was currently doing an ultrasound for Shane and his wife while Bailey quietly berated the four interns on the side.

"Do not think _for a moment_ I condone stealing patients," she softly scolded them, and then to their vehement surprise, the Nazi grinned, "That said … way to go," she then snapped her coffee orbs to Celia, "How did they manage to rope you in?" And while Meredith, Cristina and Izzie gaped in offense, Celia smirked, "They ganged up on me. Three on one."

"I hear a pregnant man had been admitted," a jubilant voice emanated from behind them, and Celia whirled around at her brother's familiar voice, "Atta girl, CeCe."

"Uh, I'm sorry, but you're not supposed to be here, Mr. …?" Bailey addressed him with an arched eyebrow. When Ian kept giving her a shit-eating grin, Celia giggled, causing everyone but Meredith to gape at her in utter shock, "Dr. Bailey, this is my brother, Ian Chamberlain."

"Ah, so _you're_ the elusive brother that's been the source of most of the staff's fear around here," Bailey smirked. Celia stared at her brother in confusion, who shrugged and nonchalantly said – though there was a note of steel in his tone, "You didn't really think I'd allow those lifeless gossip-mongers to get away with tarnishing your reputation, did ya?" he rhetorically asked, but before anyone could retort, he beamed at Meredith, "Little Merry, what no hug for your favorite bro?"

Meredith laughed and ran into his arms, "I wish you would stop calling me that, Ian!"

"Oh, c'mon, Merry, as your honorary and _favorite_ older bro, I've permission to annoy you as much as I want," he quipped, prompting Meredith to smack him lightly on the chest and retort, "Don't flatter yourself, Ian, my favorite is actually Neal, not you."

Ian squawked in mock-indignation, "What? That little squirt beat me? Why, I've never been more insulted in my whole life, Merry. Truly you wound me." Celia burst out into uproarious laughter with Meredith and said, "Knock it off, Ian."

While the three of them were engaged in their little sibling confrontation, every doctor in the room were gaping at the two usually sullen interns in palpable shock, and Izzie couldn't help but mutter, "It's like we've entered the twilight zone." Her words managed to remind them of their surroundings and the audience they gained, and Ian smirked, "Let me see… blonde, no mouth filter, you must be Isobel Stevens, and you," his mischievous cobalt blue orbs flickered to an amused Cristina, "Impassive, no bullshit look, Cristina Yang. It's a pleasure to meet my sister's co-interns and friends. How do you do, ladies?"

"Huh, definitely got ourselves a Casanova here," Bailey grunted in amusement. Addison finally recovered from the shocking display and addressed Shane, "Mr. Herman, I can assure you, you are in no way pregnant."

"Wooh, it's a relief to hear it," Shane smiled, breathing a sigh of relief and clasping hands with his wife, Tina, "You know, officially. But hey, why was that stick blue?"

Approaching the patient, Bailey gave him a comforting smile, "Well that's what we're gonna find out. Uh, Stevens, do a shot gun work up, including tumor markers, and get CT to make some room for us in line," she ordered, and Izzie immediately acquiesced.

Weirded out by the many cameras aimed his way and flashing in his face, Shane nervously inquired, "What's this for again?" A beeper rang in the background, and was ignored as Celia calmly smiled at him, "Medical journals, monthly case reports, annual banquet highlight reels." The beeper rang again, succeeding in annoying Bailey, "Ah hey! Whose pager is that?"

"Um, mine," a frazzled Cristina replied and she stared imploringly at Bailey, "But I found him, so can someone else go?" Ian winced at the rookie mistake, and Bailey blew up in apoplectic rage, "What do you… NO! We don't ignore pages Yang. Go, get!" she shooed her.

Ian gave Celia a chaste kiss on the forehead and cupped her face fondly, "I'm assisting Preston Burke on a surgery so I'll see you after, okay CeCe. I need to study the patient's chart beforehand. Keep out of trouble, and if that Attending bothers you, let me know." Smiling at his retreating back, it took a while for her to notice that Bailey was scrutinizing her, "What?"

"I'm just not used to seeing you happy. You got a good brother, Chávez," and she meant it, for Bailey could honestly detect the palpable love and sibling bond between the two, even with Meredith, and hopefully, Chamberlain would stick around for a while, because Bailey knew that with Derek, Addison and the gossiping staff, Celia would go through one hell of a ride.

 ****GA****

Cristina, Izzie and George were blatantly watching with ill-concealed interest as Celia and Meredith laughed uproariously with vibrant smiles on their usually impassive visages as they lead Ian to their regular table. They sat Ian between them, and Celia immediately introduced her brother to a disgruntled George.

"What's your deal, Grumpy?" Ian smirked, noticing George's grumpy disposition. In retort, Bambi forked his chicken viciously and glared at the four female interns, " _They_ got a pregnant guy! They got a pregnant guy and didn't tell me!"

"Well," Izzie grinned, trying to appease George, "We can get you floor space in the OR for 50 bucks."

Celia rolled her eyes and chuckled alongside Ian and Cristina, but Meredith was not amused in the least bit and she made her feelings on the topic clear as she glared at Izzie, "You're selling tickets and we don't even know what's wrong with him!"

Cristina shrugged, not bothered in the slight bit, "Whatever he's got inside has got to come out. We're just brokering a few deals."

Izzie nodded, "Sort of like backstage passes. Want in on the cash?"

Ian smirked, "Things are run differently here than in Cedars-Sinai, I can see why you two decided to complete your internship here." In unison, Celia and Meredith smacked him on the chest and chanted, "Shut up, Ian!"

Ignoring the siblings for the moment, George self-righteously claimed, "I didn't need a pregnant guy! I was Burke's new go to guy, but that's over thank to you, Cristina. He didn't know that I knew about you two."

"Stop talking," Cristina brusquely snapped, garnering Ian's interest who chuckled, "Nice, Cristina. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Every hospital has got an abundant of sordid love affairs."

"Uh-huh, how's Ronnie?" Celia asked, referring to Veronica, his long-term girlfriend since college who was a Gynecologist Attending in Cedars-Sinai. Ian lounged comfortably on the chair, "She's great, misses you, said you aren't calling her, and speaking of calling people. You're ignoring all of Sophie's calls," he pointed out seriously.

Celia scoffed, "Why on earth would I choose to instigate a conversation with the She-Devil of my own volition."

"She's your _mother_ , CeCe," Ian sighed, massaging his temples, "And she's been giving me, Neal, Dad _and_ Richard a lot of shit because you're ignoring her calls." Thankfully, Alex's arrival saved Celia from coming up with an excuse, and they all stared in amusement and a slight bit of confusion at the girl in the wheelchair who arrived with him. After a moment of awkward silence where Alex didn't bother to introduce the young girl, she waved at them and smiled, "Hi… I'm Alex's charity case."

"Huh, I like her already," Cristina grinned.

"You're Alex, nice to meet the guy who's been taking care of my sis here," Ian smirked, and just like that, the two men engaged each other in a conversation while George continued pouting over the pregnant guy. Suddenly, Cristina's beeper went off yet again and she growled in frustration, "Damn nurses! I am hungry!" and with those parting words, she stormed off with her irritating beeper.

Chuckling, Ian traded a conspiratorial look with Celia, "Let me guess, she pissed off a nurse and is now reaping her reward?"

"Oh yeah," Celia laughed.

Ian winced, "Harsh."

"So this is cool. A real live lunchtime. In a real cafeteria with trays and friends," Nicole randomly piped up, garnering looks of confusion and raised eyebrows. Izzie scoffed rudely, "We're not his friends."

Slamming her hand hard against the table, Celia shot Izzie her famous glacier glare, "Actually, Blondie, _you_ are not his friend! We," and here she pointed at herself and Meredith, "Are!" successfully cowing the blonde, much to Ian and Alex's amusement. After a few minutes of silence, Nicole chose to risk speaking up again, "So are you guys the cool kids around here or something?"

"What would make you think that?" Meredith asked with a smile. Nicole pointed at the mass surrounding them, "It seems like everyone is talking about you." In unison, they all whipped around to see that Nicole was dead on with her observation, everyone was in fact looking at their table, but at Celia specifically. Ian's cobalt blue eyes burned furiously at each and every onlooker, and in the blink of an eye, they hastily looked away.

"My savior," Celia cooed sarcastically.

"Always," Ian grinned back, but despite that, his eyes still burned with rage at the gossip-mongers.

 ****GA****

Celia, Meredith and Cristina were staring dumbstruck at Shane's CT scan, their heads comically tilted to the side, and Meredith breathed out in awe, "Are those teeth?"

Smiling like a fool, Izzie boasted, "Cristina is gonna be _so mad_ she missed this."

After handing over the scans to Bailey, the four of them visited Shane, adamantly ignoring the crowd and their blasted cameras as they blatantly pointed at Shane and whispered amongst each other inappropriately.

The Chief joined them, and after offering Celia a subtle smile, he stood next to Bailey with inquiring eyes.

"A mesenteric teratoma, Chief."

"In an adult male!" Izzie crowed from the background. Whistling in awe, Richard asked, "Is this possible?"

"It is now," Bailey nodded, "Large bilobed cystic lesion."

"With a solid calcified structure," Celia added.

"A deformed mandible," Richard nodded. Bailey continued with the report as the Chief studied Shane's womb, "Labs show elevated HCG levels that explains the false positive on the pregnancy test. Which also means it's probably malignant."

Noticing Shane's distress, Meredith addressed him softly, "You have what's called teratoma, and it's very rare in adults which is why you're so popular. It's just a mass of cells that's probably been there your whole life only now it's growing."

"Yeah, growing jawbones and toe nails and ah, clumps of hair," Shane moodily responded, "Yeah, I've been listening." A little upset, Tina took over, "It's just, nobody is really talking to _us_."

Celia gave them an understanding smile, "Just about you. I know what that's like." Whipping around to address Bailey, Meredith spoke up in disapproval, "Dr. Bailey, all the attention. All the people, they're making them panic," she pointed at the green-faced Shane.

 ****GA****

Staring at the Latina beauty by the nurse's desk, Derek couldn't help but stroll toward her, wanting, no… _needing_ to hear her voice, and drown into the depths of her chocolate brown eyes. Just as he approached her however, Bailey appeared in front of him, successfully blocking his path.

"Turn around. Walk away," Bailey warned curtly. Staring at the Nazi innocently, too innocent in fact, he smiled, "From what?"

"From my intern!"

"But I wasn't-"

"Uh, yeah, yes you were," Bailey snapped loudly. Closing her eyes, she calmed herself with a deep inhalation and exhalation of breath before staring compassionately at the obviously enamored Attending. "Come on, look. You _can't_ do this. You don't have the right, not anymore."

"I just wanna find out if she's okay," Derek spoke in a hushed voice filled with pain, guilt and longing.

"No she's not!" Bailey exploded, staring at the idiotic Attending in disbelief, "She's been pushing you away from the very beginning, instilling professionalism between you to avoid what is exactly happening right now! She's a human traffic accident and everybody is slowing down to look at the wreckage, spreading out lies and calling her a slut trying to sleep her way into the program. She's doing the best she can with what she has left." Noticing that her words had barely made an impact on Derek, she huffed aggressively, "Look, I know you can't see this because you're in it, but you have to let her go, you can't help her. It'll only make it worse. Walk away. Leave her to mend her shattered reputation on her own."

Derek let out a sigh of exasperation but stubbornly, remained planted, his eyes glued to Celia's mesmerizing form.

"Dr. Shepherd, go on!" Bailey snapped angrily, "Believe me, I've met her brother, and you don't want to mess with Celia. He's very protective of her, and you hounding her will get you into trouble, her stepfather is _Noah_ _Chamberlain_ , Derek," she whispered toward the end, glad that she finally received the proper reaction from the stubborn Attending.

"Noah-, _The_ Noah Chamberlain, renowned and famous Neurosurgeon? _Shit!_ " Derek swore, and without another word, he turned his back from a smug Bailey and left the premises, making sure to keep a distance from Celia.

Noah Chamberlain was his idol. That _God_ was the reason why he chose to enter the Neuro field, and discovering that the woman he's in love with, the woman he rebuffed and lied to, was related to him… Noah Chamberlain was famous for being a family man, despite his long hours spent in surgery and his surmounting career, the man always made time for his family and protected them fiercely; if he knew Derek hurt his stepdaughter… well, _Derek was screwed._

 ****GA****

"The heart caught on fire? Seriously- wait, you're not shitting with me… it actually _caught on fire_?" Celia gasped in awed disbelief.

"Not messing with you, CeCe. It caught on fire right in the middle of surgery," Ian chuckled; the two siblings were currently lounging about by the nurse's desk, both of them having had finished with their surgeries. Just as Celia opened her mouth to converse in details about the peculiar phenomena, Meredith's disdained voice echoed in their ears, prompting their attention toward Mr. Herman's room where he was currently recovering from surgery.

" _What is going on in here_? Everybody out! _Out_!"

A horde of chastised and disgruntled staff members flocked out of the room, chased by a viciously engaged Meredith, "Mr. Herman is a _patient_! A _surgical_ patient who's sick and embarrassed! And tired of being stared at! _You two!_ " she whirled around to face a sheepish Cristina and Izzie, " _This isn't a zoo_! Out! _Out! Out!_ You know if you all want to point and whisper and stare at your fellow workers who are going through a crises, knock yourselves out! But leave Mr. Herman _alone_!" Once everyone left the room, Meredith stampeded behind Cristina and Izzie who were backing away to join an amused Ian and proud Celia, "You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Closing the door to Shane's room, her attention suddenly snapped to Derek who was stupidly or perhaps, bravely approaching Celia, "And what are you looking at? Didn't you cause enough problems for Celia!?"

Sighing despondently, Derek's blue-blue eyes beseeched Celia, thankful that the mass of curious staff members had been chased away by Meredith Grey, "Celia, can we talk. Please?"

"No, _Dr_. Shepherd, unless you wish to discuss matters regarding a patient, then no, we no longer have anything more to discuss," Celia frigidly dismissed him, the only emotion perceptible on her face, was annoyance.

"Don't you have a wife to get to, Dr. Shepherd?" Ian snapped hostilely, the warning to back off, evident in his words.

At the end of the day there are some things you just can't help but talk about. Some things we just _don't want_ to hear, and some things we say because we can't be silent any longer. Some things are more than what you can say. They're what you can _do_. Some things you say because there's no other choice.

"Celia… please," Derek whispered brokenly, ignoring the intimidating brother standing protectively next to the woman he loves' side.

Indifferently, Celia stared blankly at Derek, "Have a goodnight, Dr. Shepherd. Let's go Ian."

Some things, you keep to yourself.

Ian and Celia joined the other interns at Joe's, and after introducing Joe to her brother, they all congregated on a table slurping their alcoholic beverages. The silence was overwhelming, and so, Celia huffed and shot them all an amused look, "So you guys really have nothing to talk about?"

"No," Cristina, Izzie, Meredith and George intoned, eliciting chuckles from Ian and Celia.

Alex wandered inside, squared his shoulders in determination and made a beeline toward Izzie. He grabbed her, dipped her backwards from her stool and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Sitting upright, Izzie blinked in a daze while Celia, Meredith, Cristina and Ian applauded him.

"What?" a confused Izzie said breathlessly.

"Goodnight," he simply said before leaving the bar.

… Some things simply speak for themselves.

"Wow! Way to go Alex," Celia smirked, laughing at Izzie's still dazed face.

With one last chuckle, Ian drank the remaining drops of his beer and stood up. Placing a chaste kiss on Celia and Meredith's forehead, he smiled, "I'm meeting Vince. I'll be in a bit late tonight. Be safe you two."

Unbeknownst to Celia Chávez, she didn't notice that the wheels in her eldest brother's brain was spinning rapidly, a scheme playing out in his head, one that would hopefully change her life…

 **A/N:** **This was a long chapter since I had to introduce Ian to the story.**

 **So, Ian Chamberlain is portrayed by the devastatingly sexy, Chris Evans, who frankly takes my breath away with his oozing sex appeal. Ian Chamberlain's personality is exactly like Chris Evan's character when he portrayed Johnny Storm, the Human Torch in Fantastic 4: playful, mischievous, reckless, witty, barely takes anything seriously and laidback, but when his family and friends are in danger or when saving the world, he's very serious and scary.**

 **I know there wasn't much Delia interaction, but I'm saving it for next chapter, which will have a few shocking surprises! ;)**

 **Also, you can see that we are beginning to find out more about Celia's background. Who knew she had a family of surgeons too, and famous ones…**

 **Did you like my OC Ian Chamberlain? His relationship with Celia and Meredith? And how did you like Celia's reaction to the gossipers? XD**

 **R &R.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Ian Chamberlain – Chris Evans.**

 **Vincent Grant – Chris Pine.**

 **Chapter 17:**

In Primary School, eight-year-old Celia and Meredith were introduced to the famous tragedy play written by William Shakespeare, _Romeo and Juliet_. Antonio Chávez was adamant that his two favorite girls would always believe and have a happy ending of their own, and when they turned eight, he regaled the enchanting yet tragic tale of two individuals from opposing families in a long-term feud that fell in love and risked _everything_ for love. Antonio had always been a romantic at heart, and he hoped that little Celia and Meredith would inherit his capability to believe and do the impossible for happiness, like he did with Sophie Chávez. As a bonus, Antonio had them watch the movie and when it was over, he inquired the opinion of his favorite girls.

Best friends and sisters since they were toddlers, both Celia and Meredith shocked the ever-romantic Latino when they chanted that Juliet was an idiot. For starters, she fell in love with the one guy she knows she cannot have. Then she blames fate for her own bad decisions.

Antonio Chávez said the heart wants what it wants, and when they are mature enough to enter the world of relationships, they would understand how difficult it is to pull away from your soulmate regardless if it was an unforgivable love like Romeo and Juliet's were.

"CeCe, come on, we're going to be late-," Meredith blinked the haze of sleep upon finding her twisted best friend and sister already in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and holding on to a mug of coffee like her life depended on it, or actually, her consciousness. "Where's Ian?"

Instead of deeming Meredith with a response, the gorgeous yet frigid Latina tilted her head to the side and bit her plump lips to repress the laughter that threatened to erupt, "Uh, Death… what's with the Hello Kitty on your forehead?" With Meredith's pale complexion, the rectangular Band-Aid in the shade of a lurid pink with the Hello Kitty icon was glaringly obvious, and it stood out like a bull's-eye in a dartboard.

Feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, Meredith's hand flew up to her hair and she brushed her fringe over the Band-Aid, to no avail. Celia giggled, unable to repress her amusement any longer, "Don't bother, Mer. Fringe or no fringe, it still sticks out like a sore thumb."

Green eyes glared a hole into her Latina sister's forehead, "Well, it's not my fault I woke up with a zit as big as Mount Everest on my forehead-, CeCe! _Stop laughing!_ " she stomped her foot like a petulant child for effect, but it only made Celia laugh even louder. When it became clear to her that the Latina would not be able to instigate conversation until the last remnants of laughter had cleared off, Meredith grumbled on her way to the coffee pot and quickly drank a few sips, rejuvenating herself.

"Sorry, okay, okay, I'm done," Celia wheezed, gazing at the blonde with mirthful eyes, "To answer your question, Ian is with Vince. I'm telling you, that troublemaker of a brother is planning something. He thinks he's being subtle but he's as subtle as a horde of rhinoceros stampeding right towards you."

"Why would you say that?" Meredith asked as she tossed over the car keys, made herself comfortable in the passenger seat and immediately opened up the mirror and tried covering the Band-Aid with her fringe. Giving the blonde a deadpanned stare, Celia started the car and after a few minutes of silence, said, "I've barely seen him in the past three days, and whenever he looks at me, he's got this look that I've memorized growing up with him. It's a combination of 'I'm planning something' and 'you're going to kill me'."

Meredith arched an eyebrow; she got acquainted with the Chamberlain family when the two twisted sisters reunited in Dartmouth after nearly eight years apart, and other than Sophie who reminded her too much of Ellis Grey, Meredith got along swimmingly with the Chamberlain brothers and Celia's step-father; so, the blonde wasn't a stranger to Ian's mischievous stunts.

Smirking at the Latina as they clambered out of the Seattle Grace parking lot, Meredith quipped, "Ian doesn't strike me as the suicidal type."

Antonio Chávez then explained to Celia and Meredith that when fate comes to play, choice sometimes goes out the window. At the ripe age of eight, it was very clear that love, like life, is about making choices… and fate has nothing to do with it.

The twisted sisters linked arms and walked into the elevator with the bustling crowd, and green eyes widened in recognition when they connected with unnaturally blue eyes that remained focused on the Latina, his Adonis facial features softening imperceptibly when Celia let out a rare bubble of laughter, and Meredith sighed; it was palpably obvious that Dr. Derek _McDreamy_ Shepherd was _completely_ and _irrevocably_ in love with Celia Chávez… problem was, there was no way in hell that Celia would forgive Derek for lying so easily, despite the fact that she privately admitted her romantic feelings toward him… It would take a miracle for Celia Chávez to date.

And although Meredith was enraged with the Attending for hurting her twisted sister, she felt pity for the man whose morality demanded he give his wife of a decade another chance, yet his heart bled out for the frigid Latina.

"I would not wish this upon anyone," a petite brunette groaned to the man supporting most of her weight, " _Literally_ , it's like someone reached in and ripped my guts out!" Celia nudged Meredith from her pondering and subtly pointed at the couple as the man matter-of-factly replied, "Baby you had food poisoning."

The woman glared at the man and snapped without any heat, her soft features twisted with agony, "I had _one_ lousy restaurant clam… wait a minute, where's billing again?"

Automatically, Celia helpfully responded, "The basement." However, her voice wasn't the only one that permeated the air, a smooth baritone permanently ingrained into her brain blended with hers and she whipped around, indifferent chocolate orbs connecting with blue-blue ones that were sparkling with amusement and tenderness.

The woman's annoyed groan snapped her out of her trance, "We're going the wrong way." Quickly, the Latina turned around and remained in an awkward silence with an uncomfortable Meredith.

Everyone thinks it's _so_ romantic; Romeo and Juliet. True love. How sad. … If Juliet was stupid enough to fall for the enemy, to fall for the forbidden fruit, drink a bottle of poison and go to sleep in a mausoleum, well then, _she deserved what she got._

 ****GA****

"Chávez, Yang," Bailey barked out, "You two are with me!"

Celia separated herself from Meredith just in the nick of time as Derek had been making his way over to them, and swiftly joined her twisted Korean friend with a small nod of acknowledgement, both interns rushing to keep up with Bailey. Damn, the Nazi may be short with tiny freaking legs, but that Resident sure can give Usain St. Leo Bolt a run for his money.

Entering the room, they found the patient to be lying on the hospital bed and clearly conscious, his black orbs flickering with utmost annoyance and his hard features glaring at George with irritation as he blabbered on and on without pause. Celia and Cristina traded an amused look but obediently remained quiet, waiting for Bailey to clue them in to the irritated patient's ailment.

"Window washer," Bailey boomed out, ambling toward the patient and successfully pushing George away to stand by the twisted interns, "Fell from the fifth floor scaffolding. Obvious open tib/fib fracture but otherwise okay." Celia stared at the patient in awe while Cristina rubbed her ears; both the Latina and Korean stumped with Bailey's announcement; however, despite their incredulity regarding such a miraculous feat, none of the occupants in the room held more amazement than Puppy who took the stunned silence as his cue to let his adulation be known, "Equal breast sounds. After a five storey fall he's got equal breast sounds! _This is unbelievable_!" he flipped around to gawk at his fellow interns and stern Resident, "Do you wanna hear?"

With a deadpanned stare, Bailey retorted in a blasé tone, "Somehow I believe you. Yang! Get in here and palpate his abdomen, Chávez! Stay close to me and keep O'Malley here from hyperventilating over the patient." But George wasn't the least bit insulted and he continued to gaze at the patient, Stu, with sycophantic awe and reverence, leaving the Latina to watch her Korean friend attend to Stu, ignoring the slobbering from Puppy.

"You fell from the _sky_. _Five_ stories. And you only injured your leg!" George said admiringly.

" _George_!" Celia and Cristina barked out in unison, disapproval clearly etched in their features. Shaking his head like a hyperactive Puppy – hence, Celia's nickname for him – George stubbornly rebutted, "No. Don't _George_ me. A few seconds there ago, he would've landed on _me_."

Rolling her eyes, Celia went to aid Cristina seeing as George was deep in the recess of fandom. "Ok, rolling on three please," Cristina uttered before counting down, "1, 2, 3…" A bunch of doctors congregated with the two twisted interns helped to lift Stu onto his side. Congealed blood was smeared all over his back, along with splattered feathers.

Bailey wrinkled her nose in disgust, deeply grossed out by the morbid sight, " _Oh_." Simultaneously, Celia dryly quipped, "How lovely." And Cristina narrowed her gaze at Stu's back, "Are these feathers?"

"My life was saved by that pigeon," George frantically added, his face a mixture of sorrow and gratitude. Celia and Cristina facepalmed themselves regarding Puppy slash Bambi's unprofessionalism, while Bailey, with one last silencing glare at him, ordered in the commanding voice of the Nazi, "Let's get some X-Rays, and after that, you might want to get in there and look for the rest of… _Tweety_."

Slowly, George reverently picked up a feather and whispered to it, "Thank you."

"Oh for the love of God, Puppy, pull up your testicles from your back pocket and be a man," Celia snapped, having had enough of his annoying background comments. Cristina snorted, "Or act professional. Really, we're not picky."

Gaping at the two frigid interns who reveled in belittling him, George found himself able to eloquently say, " _Hey!_ That was _totally uncalled for_."

 ****GA****

Taking a small reprieve before having to go hands deep in retrieving the remaining carcass of Tweety, Celia decided to scope the halls for Meredith or Alex while Cristina went to find Burke and George… well, Puppy elected to remain behind, much to Stu's irritation. Seriously, the Latina felt for the man, knowing too well the hopeless sensation, the moment when inspiration struck in a fit of despair, the blinding moment when you no longer found peace within the darkness, when depression embraced your every fiber and you finally decide to take the leap, to eradicate the never ending pain that clung to you like a second skin.

" _When people kill themselves, they think they're ending the pain, but all they are doing is passing it to those they leave behind."_ With those influencing words, Ian prosperously brought Celia out of the deep end of pain, torment and despair, and gave her the strength to continue fighting with the darkness and strive for the future. Maybe that was part of the reason why George's sycophantic adulation riled her up; Stu surviving with only a broken leg, and George surviving the impact of his fall by a sheer nanosecond may be a legitimate cause to be in awe and to celebrate, but the cataclysmic reason behind Stu's decision to end his life, to give up _was not_ , and Puppy, as a surgeon, should know better; the clueless idiot cannot even identify a suicidal patient, despite the fact that it was glaringly obvious and hitting him right in the face.

"There she is!" Celia paused in her search for Meredith and beamed at the sight of her brother, wasting no time in flinging herself into his strong opened arms. Smacking him playfully, Celia placed both hands on her hips, "The prodigal brother finally shows up. Finally done avoiding me for whatever scheme you're hatching?"

Staring sheepishly at his little sister, Ian tucked his hands in his front pockets but before he could utter a word in his defense, a modulated husky voice spoke up, "Scheme? Now what exactly are you conspiring mate?" Chocolate orbs transferred over to the newcomer striding over to her brother's side, and her eyes bulged imperceptibly; he was strikingly attractive with his athletic build, sandy blonde hair that fell lazily over his eyes, his facial features stood out due to his hard jaw covered in a neat stubble, but it was his eyes that enthralled her and jolted a memory from her past. They were blue-grey reminding her immensely of-

"Vince? Vincent Grant. Is that you?" Celia hadn't seen the handsome Casanova since her second year at Dartmouth when he came for a visit with Ian and Veronica, and the years had been very good to him. Vince's eyes widened in recognition and he flashed his trademark charming smile, "Little CeCe, it's been a while. Wow! _Look at you_. Surgical Intern, you're living out your dream. Congrats!"

Ian let out a nervous chuckle and clapped Vince on the back; suspicion clouded the Latina's mind and she narrowed her gaze onto her squirming brother who had his 'she's gonna kill me' face on that he and Neal mastered during their many mischievous plots to set her up with a few _good guys_ they elected for her. "No! Ian, damn it! Hell to the _no_! N-O, NO!" Celia spat out, backing up slightly, chocolate orbs glaring with heat when she realized that Vince seemed to be already included in the plan.

"Ah, c'mon CeCe. Give Vince a chance, he's always had a crush on you since he ran into you at Dartmouth," Ian cajoled. Vince kept his intense blue-grey eyes attached onto her person, noticing that she was backing up like a cornered prey, "Celia, just give me a chance, I promise you, I won't disappoint."

"I don't date!" Celia snapped, her orbs flickering from Ian to Vince and back again, "You know that, Ian. Look, Vince, you're a really nice guy and all, but believe me, it won't end well, it _never_ does."

Placating her, Vince calmly spoke up, "How about during your lunch break, you sit with me and we just get to talking. No strings, no promises, nothing. Just, two acquaintances from the past getting to know each other better…?" Ian nodded quickly upon noticing his frigid sister's decision wavering slightly, "I'm helping Richard out with a patient, and if I'm done early I'll join you both. C'mon, CeCe, what do you say?" and he flashed her the puppy dog pout that never did him any justice.

"Ugh, fine! You win, but it is _not_ a date," Celia reiterated, stressing her words clearly for emphasis. The mischievous best friends parroted, "Not a date." Biting her lips to suppress the laughter at the comical sight, them clearly frightened of her notorious temper, her attention suddenly drifted over to an agitated man yelling pleadingly by the nurse's station, "I've already told you, _I don't need an appointment._ I'm _not_ a patient; I am _a_ _friend_ from New York!"

Eyebrows knitting in confusion, Celia ambled over to him, rolling her eyes when Ian and Vince instantly shadowed her footsteps, and she smiled benignly at the agitated handsome man, "Nurse Rhonda, I got this," she brusquely addressed the nurse, whose hazel orbs widened in fear at the sight of Ian and gladly scuttled away, prompting chuckles from the troublemaking men behind her. Focusing on the man, Celia continued, "Hello, I'm Dr. Chávez, can I help you?"

Desperate olive eyes connected with hers, barely sparing a glance at the two protective males by her side, "Please. I've been running around in circles for the better half of an hour and nobody's bothered to help. I'm looking for Derek Shepherd-"Ian could clearly be heard groaning loudly in annoyance, impelling the Latina to subtly stomp on his foot. Paying no attention to his moan of pain, she continued to smile politely at the confused stranger, "Alright, we've established that you have no appointment and that you're not a patient. But you do know him, yes? I don't want to end up bringing forth a deranged psycho to meet my boss and end up getting fired."

Celia may be a frigid, emotionless and impassive bitch with an indifferent attitude and dubbed by all 'Cruella De Vil', but the Latina was still a charismatic person with a charming personality when she wanted to be. The handsome stranger relaxed perceptibly and let out a humorous chuckle at her witticism, "No, I'm not a psycho. Just tell Derek that Weiss from New York is looking for him."

"You can tell him yourself, Mr. Weiss," Celia suddenly informed him with a smile, her orbs focusing on a looming figure behind him. Weiss turned around and his face broke out into wide smile as he instigated a hug, one that was instantly returned, "Derek! I've been looking for you." Although Derek was obviously exuberant with the appearance of his old friend, his blue-blue eyes couldn't detach from Celia, and it was only Ian's voice that managed to snap him back to the presence.

"Well, CeCe, Vince and I are going to Richard. Take care," the warning was clear when his cobalt blue orbs glared daggers into Derek's. Naturally, Vince was informed of the sordid details between his best mate's sister and the married Attending, and so, he grinned, and couldn't pass up the chance to add fuel to the fire, "I'll meet you for lunch, CeCe." Derek's eyes flashed with anger at the insinuation, but after the two men departed, the Latina only had eyes for Weiss, "I'll leave you in the capable hands of Dr. Shepherd, Mr. Weiss. Goodbye."

Whistling at her retreating back, Weiss chuckled, noticing the flash of envy and desire that quickly passed through his friend's mien, "I like her. If I weren't happily married with Savannah, I'd snatch her up in a heartbeat." That didn't make Derek feel any better; oh, he would definitely ensure his schedule to be free for lunch, giving him leeway to observe the Latina he was so enamored by have lunch with the attractive stranger he saw as competition… Derek Shepherd was adamant that he had nothing to be worried about, Celia constantly verified that she doesn't date … but then, if that was the case… _why was his heart aching?_

 ****GA****

Ensconced in the Trauma Room, Celia, Cristina and George were deeply absorbed in the nitpicking of Tweety's carcass from Stu's back; the unfortunate sole victim of Stu's suicide attempt.

"Poor Birdie," Celia muttered, prompting a snort from the Korean. The Latina made a noise of triumph as she plucked out a claw and dropped it onto the bowl, the metallic clang resonating around the room at the impact; curiously, Stu inquired, "Beak?"

In synchronization, the three interns intoned, "Claw."

"We need to widen this incision to take a better look," Cristina informed them with a sigh; her definition of being a Surgical Intern was in no means retrieving the remnants of a pigeon from a suicidal patient's back, but she didn't bother exclaiming her irritation out loud, knowing the practical Latina would reiterate the Nazi's 'welcoming' speech from their first day; _You're interns, grunts, nobodies, bottom of the surgical food chain._

Celia aided Cristina in the endeavor, while George, _surprise, surprise,_ kneeled beside the patient and whispered in a conspiratorial manner, too afraid of his co-interns' reaction if they heard him, "Does your leg hurt you a lot?"

Groaning slightly, Stu rebuffed him, "I'm fine man. Just … do your thing."

"Puppy is incapable of following orders," Celia muttered to Cristina whose onyx orbs narrowed in on George as he nonchalantly returned to removing the feathers before quickly leaning down and whispering, "Is there anyone you'd like me to call?"

Celia rolled her eyes; the dude tried committing suicide, somehow she doubted him being in a socializing mood, "George-"

"You fell _five stories_ and lived to tell about it," George rushed out, not deterred by Celia's warning glare and Cristina's annoyed huff, "I'd kinda wanna shout it from the rooftops. So to speak," he muttered, trying not to wither under the unanimous glares of the two female interns. There was a beat of silence and just when they thought they were given a moment of tranquility, George ecstatically burst out, " _It's a miracle_! You may not understand the medicine of it, but a five storey fall, your lungs should be collapsed, your back should be broken, your aorta should be totally severed-"

"George, _enough_!" Cristina snapped; not only was Bambi immensely annoying her, but the irritated glare from the patient, coupled with the heated stare of Celia, a telltale sign that she was nearing spontaneous combustion, rang warning bells in her head. Unfortunately, Bambi had no sense of self-preservation as he whispered quietly to Stu, evoking a groan, "I'm just saying there's a reason for this. _You lived!_ We _both_ did. Carpe diem man! _Seize the day_."

Shifting slightly, Stu stared at Celia and Cristina in exasperation, "Any chance you could make him leave?"

"I really, really wish I could _seize_ the chance and throw him out, believe me," Celia retorted, glaring daggers at a sheepish George, "Puppy, zip it! Is it too hard for your miniscule brain to comprehend the fact that there might be a reason that led Stu to jump? That he wasn't interested in surviving!? You're a _surgeon_ , how inept are you, that you cannot distinguish the difference between an accidental jumper and suicidal one?! Jeez, O'Malley, just do us _all_ a favor and shut the hell UP!" The room was engulfed with a strained silence as recognition flickered in George's doe-like orbs and Stu sent her a grateful smile.

Bailey chose to make an appearance at that exact moment, her coffee orbs focused on the patient's scan, "Mr. Vargas, your lower left leg bones are shattered. We need to get you into surgery."

"Oh great, just my luck," Stu growled to himself; the two frigid interns flashed George a warning stare as he opened his mouth to remark; Cristina grinned as she held up the beak, "Beak!"

"And that concludes our treasure hunt," Celia quipped sarcastically.

Amazed beyond belief, George addressed Stu without taking his eyes off the beak, "Could I? Would you mind? Could I keep that?" he stammered, not noticing the four bewildered glares directed upon his person.

"His mother clearly dropped him on his head when he was a kid," Celia muttered for only Cristina to hear; the Korean nodded with a blank face and a gaping jaw, unable to comprehend the intricacy of George O'Malley's mind.

 ****GA****

Sitting down opposite to Vince, Celia ignored the curious stares of Seattle Grace's gossip-mongers and the burning gaze of Derek's and flashed him a smile, "Alright Vince, let's get this over with."

" _Ouch_!" Vince's blue-grey eyes widened and he clutched his heart in mock-offense, "That wounds me, Celia, deeply. Do I mean _that little_ to you?" There was a moment of silence before, to the palpable shock of the staff surrounding them, Celia burst out into infectious laughter, mirthful eyes crinkling at an appeased Vince. Hell seriously froze over if Cruella De Vil was actually laughing in a public setting and shedding off her bitchy, emotionless persona. The cacophony of awed muttering went unnoticed by the Latina as she found herself actually enjoying Vince's presence. "So, why are you humoring my brother's dastard plan in hooking me up?"

Intimating a witty banter, Vince leaned forward and retorted, "Why are you adamant in remaining a spinster for life? I've heard many stories about you Celia; you're notorious in Dartmouth for your many conquests, you and Meredith Grey. So why the blockage with me? Why not give me, _us_ a chance?"

"Wow, you're not one for beating around the bush are you?" Celia asked rhetorically before dropping her cutlery and fixing the attractive man with a solemn stare, "Those conquests you speak so highly of, are nothing but one-night-stands, no-strings-attached, friends-with-benefits, and short dalliances. They are merely _sex_ , nothing _more_ , nothing _less_. There are _no_ feelings involved, _no_ relationship, _nothing_ , nothing but mutual pleasure and enjoying carnal pleasures without all the drama and emotions of a broken heart." Licking her lips, Celia dropped the matter-of-fact tone and adopted a soft one, "Vince, I'm fifty shades of fucked up, you deserve someone who would give you her all, who would adore you and cherish you, and desire a serious relationship. Who doesn't have skeletons in her closet."

In a shocking action, one that the Latina hadn't seen coming, Vince lifted a strong hand, that was surprisingly soft, and caressed her jaw with soft strokes, "Don't sell yourself short, Celia." She instinctively rested her cheek on his palm; chocolate orbs beseeching entrancing blue-grey ones and the background blurred, the plethora of gazes burning into her person, including an envious Attending were all forgotten as she whispered, "I'm not a relationship kind of girl, Vince. I'm a one and done type of girl. You deserve better that that."

"Let _me_ be the judge of that, Celia. I mean _come on_ , what have you got to lose. _Take the leap_ , go out with me," Vincent cajoled her, imploring her to accept him; when Ian came to him regarding Celia, knowing that Vince had been interested in his treasured sister he was so protective of since his visit to Dartmouth, it was a no-brainer. Ever since he laid eyes upon the gorgeous, vivacious brunette in the Frat Party, dancing seductively between two jocks, Vince boiled with jealousy, and the only reason he never acted on his attraction was in respect to his best friend. Seven years later, Ian finally acknowledged his long forgotten crush, and Vince was not about to blow it. He wanted Celia Chávez, and _damn it_ , he would have her; that married Attending blew his chance, and he'll be damned if he would allow him to walk all over again.

Recovering from her dazed state, Celia pulled away from the charming man and shook her head, "Vince, there's a reason why I had three boyfriends in the entirety of my life. When it comes to dating, I am cursed; it always ends up with me getting dumped due to my baggage. I'm telling you, it _won't_ end well."

"I get it, believe me, I do. You're more complicated and difficult to understand than Samson's Riddle-"but he never had a chance to conclude his sentence as Celia's eyes lit up with mirth and she giggled into her hand, " _'Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.'_ Gotta say Vince, you running out of compliments, or is this your way of charming a girl? Because I've never been compared to Samson before, and believe me, I've met a lot of flirts."

If possible, Vince was even more enthralled with the Latina; she captivated his interest so easily, "You know, even geniuses hold no interest for Philosophy, and believe me, I took a minor in college, I'd know. There's more to you that meets the eyes, isn't there?" he whispered, taking the blush of her cheeks as a sign of victory, "C'mon, Celia, give us a chance… I dare you," he smirked, donning on a winning smile and mirthful eyes.

"I don't date, Vince," but even Celia knew that her reiteration was getting weaker and that she was losing restraint. Narrowing her eyes on the smug friend of her brother's, Celia's lips curled into a sinister smile, "Fine, I accept your dare. But when you end up terminating our relationship, you don't get to disappear until after I've said, _'I told you so.'_ "

The joy on Vince's face was overwhelming and before she knew it, full lips captured her own in a searing kiss. Celia was lost; there was nobody around but her and Vince as his tongue molded with hers, and she was deaf to the gasps revolving around her. When they finally pulled apart, Vince gave her a cheeky smile, "I promise you, you won't regret it, CeCe."

 ****GA****

"I thought you don't date," Cristina quizzed the Latina as she donned on a sexy red dress over her scrubs. It seemed that this day in Seattle Grace was filled with a shocking turn of events in regards to the two emotionless interns the denizens of the hospital cowered from; Cristina actually accepted a date with Attending Preston Burke outside of the hospital and Celia disregarded the no dating policy she was famous for by accepting a relationship with the dashing best friend of her older brother, and the gossip-mongers in Seattle Grace spread the two miraculous happenstance around like wildfire, leaving nobody in the dark.

Meredith, Alex, and Izzie congregated around the two interns and stared at Celia quizzically in response to Cristina's inquiry. Celia fidgeted slightly and scratched the nape of her neck, "I don't date, that doesn't mean I _never_ would. Ugh, look; Vince is charming and attractive and so… he's _so_ amazing, and he's my brother's best friend, which is a bonus since I _know_ he's not married. He was very convincing and he dared me, and… maybe Vince will be immune to my curse."

Meredith spared her Latina sister an understanding look, knowing very well the intricacies of her curse. While Izzie was baffled, Cristina and Alex weren't kept completely in the dark since Celia confided in them one night that her few relationships never lasted for long and always ended with them dumping her, swearing the Latina off from entering meaningful relationships with anyone, and only accepting meaningless sexscapades.

"Right, and McDreamy wasn't?" Izzie scoffed, "I mean, come on Celia! That man is _sex on legs_! If I were to throw out my 'I don't date' card and make an exception, I'd choose Dr. Shepherd," she said unabashedly, disregarding Alex's affronted mien. Celia snorted and gave her a pointed look, "You left out the part where he's married, and you know what, even if he wasn't, nothing good could come out of dating your boss," she whipped around to face Cristina, "No offense, Cristina."

Shrugging nonchalantly, the Korean intern ripped off the red dress and donned on a purple one, "Ehh, none taken. I don't really have high expectations; I'm just giving it a chance. So, what do you think? Red or purple?"

"Ah, they're both really nice," Izzie said indecisively. Cristina retorted with an aggressive rolling of her onyx orbs, "I know, I bought them. But which one is right?" She then held up a white one and stood in front of the full length mirror to see how it looked on her.

"For what? You're gonna look hot in either one," Izzie pointed out. Cristina huffed and stared at Celia and Meredith sine Blondie clearly wasn't helping, "Well clearly. That's not the point. Mer? Celia? Which one?"

The twisted sisters stared at each other, having a telepathic conversation before blurting out in unison, "The red one." And Celia added, "It's hot, it's daring and it'll definitely blow his mind away. Watcha think Alex?" The aforementioned Evil Spawn and best male friend, slash fellow twisted intern, slash person in their group smirked, "Definitely the red one."

"Wow, you look hot," George gasped as he walked in and joined the fray of his co-interns. The Korean facepalmed and groaned out loud, "Yeah, Burke and I are gonna talk about how hot I am over dinner. This date is such a mistake!"

"Hey! You are so not allowed to back out," Celia snapped, rising up to her full height, "If me, Cruella De Vil, the one and done girl, can accept a relationship, then you can clearly indulge in one measly date with Burke. Don't second guess yourself, just… take the leap," she smiled as she parroted Vince's words when he tried to convince her. Cristina acknowledged the Latina with a grateful smile, just as George decided to add his two cents in, "But it's easy to get nervous on dates. It's especially hard if you're out of practice so you just got to be mellow-"

"Yeah, I know how to date George, I'm not you," Cristina snubbed.

Changing the subject of estrogen fest, Alex safely chose to discuss surgery, "I have a scheduled for the mastectomy and I get to stay while plastics does a TRAM flap reconstruction."

"I couldn't do it," Izzie blurted out, bringing the attention solely focused on her; Alex scoffed, tired of Izzie's constant arguments regarding their patient during the entirety of the day, "Do what? Make yourself all hot and sexy for your boyfriend like Yang?"

Due to their friendship, Cristina recognized Alex's remark to be a jab at Blondie, and she winked at him conspiratorially, "Go wrestle something, Alex." Ignoring the weird friendship between her four twisted co-interns and friends, Izzie adamantly made her point, "I couldn't cut off my ovaries and breasts just because I _might_ have cancer."

Celia and Meredith traded exasperated looks with Alex, having had been informed by their annoyed friend of Izzie's vehement opinion she had been spouting to the patient all day. Cristina peeled off her dress and hung them all neatly by her locker, "Think of it like a hand. If someone told you you'd die if you didn't chop off your hand, you'd do it."

"Except when you chop off a hand, you don't kill your sex drive, have silicone breasts, get hot flushes and lose your ability to bear children," Izzie argued heatedly. Adding her opinion, Meredith stated with indifference, "If it were me, I wouldn't even have the test. I mean what's the point? We're all gonna die anyway right?"

Celia bit the inside of her cheek to stop the laughter threatening to consume her at the comical look of horror on Izzie's face; "Izzie, honestly, if it were me, I'd do anything to survive. Your patient is a survivor. Maintaining your looks aren't everything, and it may sound odd coming from me, but neither is sex. If I have to choose between remaining naturally beautiful and having sex, or _at least_ surviving to the ripe old age of ninety, I'd chose surviving hands down," Celia shrugged, fixing the Hello Kitty Band-Aid on Meredith's forehead, "Seriously, Mer, that damn Kitty is beginning to freak me out."

"I'd say slice 'em and dice 'em. Whatever. They're body parts," Alex nonchalantly added with a shrug, diverting Izzie's horror-stricken gaze from the three female interns to Alex, and she retorted, "So you'd cut off your penis?"

"If it kept me from dying," Alex nodded, "Besides-" he smirked lewdly prompting the three twisted interns to roll their eyes in unison, "-I've got plenty to spare." Izzie made a revolted face as Alex turned to leave. Celia, Meredith and Cristina joined Alex and the four of them ambled aimlessly down the hallway. Cristina grumbled, "I can do hot in my sleep. I look hot in scrubs. I'm a hot person. He's seen me naked _a thousand_ times."

George passed by them, unfortunately hearing her statement and grimaced. "Bad, bad images in my head," he muttered to himself as he scampered away to the amusement of Alex who grinned at the shameless girls. Pointing the obvious, Meredith stated, "But he's never seen you outside the hospital."

"Thank you," Cristina sarcastically retorted; Celia laughed loudly and shoved Meredith lightly, "How was that in _any way_ , helpful?"

"I wasn't _trying_ to be helpful, I was _stating_ the obvious," Meredith retorted.

"Clearly," Alex snorted.

 ****GA****

Derek was in a state of utter shock; he was never one to entertain gossip or take much belief in the words spread, knowing that they had a bit of twisting the truth until they were nothing but lies and falsehoods. Months as an Attending in Seattle Grace changed Derek's beliefs, having had experienced many discoveries through word of mouth that actually ended up being true. Hearing the fresh gossip that stumped nearly every denizen in the hospital regarding Celia, and personally observing her 'lunch' with that _man_ , and Derek no longer had doubts that Celia Chávez entered a relationship, a controversy to her stubborn statement she continued to spout off.

Celia Chávez doesn't date… but according to the gossip spreading around like wildfire and his observation during lunchtime, she took a leap with Vincent Grant, the man he found out to be her older brother's best friend. Never one to lose a girl, or be rejected, Derek was immensely jealous, but the worst emotion of all, his heart ached … hearing the girl he hadn't planned on falling in love with moving on with someone else, broke his heart completely and he spent the entire day with a mask of happiness, trying to act nonchalant in the face of his wife who had been scrutinizing him all day for a reaction toward Celia's new relationship status.

Putting his woes in the backburner, Derek placed all his energy in locating his friend and finally achieved success when he found Weiss sitting on an empty hospital gurney against the wall of the hallway on the third floor. Sighing forlornly, Derek joined him by the wall; after all, misery does love company.

"You know, we had a future," Weiss desolately uttered, his olive eyes focused on the opposite wall as he licked his wounds, "We had plans. We picked out baby names together. She betrayed that… without even asking my opinion. Without even giving me time to process."

"It's a difficult time," Derek said, hoping to locate the right words to help out his friend in his time of need, "For both of you. She's emotional."

Bashing his head lightly against the wall he was leaning on, Weiss bitterly added, "And hormone changes. Mood swings. They say she could lose her sex drive." Derek sighed, patting Weiss's back in a camaraderie fashion, "You'll get through this, all right? You'll get through this. You guys love each other."

"Is that what you said about you and Addie?" Weiss uttered, his olive orbs alight with knowledge and at Derek's questioning gaze, he clarified, "You left her, and from what I can tell, you're falling for that spunky Dr. Chávez that helped me out in the morning. Hell, I think you already are."

Derek clenched his eyes shut; _was he that obvious?_ His friend came from New York, having absolutely no knowledge of his dalliance with Celia, and yet, with barely any interaction, he immediately called him out on his true feelings. Stubbornly shaking his head, Derek ignored the churning in his guts, and the butterflies that fluttered at the mere thought of those chocolate orbs that rarely twinkled with mirth and stood up, "You know, I gotta go check on a patient and get ready for dinner. See you later."

"Sure," Weiss muttered, pitying olive orbs following the retreating back of his old friend.

Taking solace in the elevator, a small smile automatically lit up his features at the familiar musical voice of Celia's voice as the elevator door slowly slid open, his blue-blue eyes taking in O'Malley who was sandwiched between an amused Grey and a disbelieving Celia.

"You're seriously gonna try to find this girl? Hunt her down while she's working. C'mon Puppy, you're a surgeon, not a bounty hunter," Celia snapped, her jibes sounding like music to his ears, and he was surprised that the three interns had yet to notice him as they stepped in and pressed the button to their designated floor. Grey pointed out with a smirk, "Neither are you cupid, George."

Puffing up defiantly, O'Malley whirled around to face the smirking interns, "Look… ok I know it's crazy, but someone's gotta tell her how he feels. I mean _he's alive_ , right? Something good has to come out of this. I mean, this could change _everything_. See I dunno I thought you were opening up to being a romantic since you accepted a relationship with that Vince fellow-… _oh shit!_ " It was comical really, the way O'Malley froze perceptibly like a deer caught in the headlights at the mere sight of him, followed quickly by Grey and Celia.

Acting nonchalant, Derek donned on his most charming smile, his eyes focused solely on an uncomfortable Celia, "Well this is fun, _again_. We seem to run into each other in elevators."

"Dr. Shepherd," Celia muttered, adamantly staring at anything but him, but he wasn't having that, and Derek couldn't help but address her coldly, "I thought you didn't date. Funny how I'm hearing differently."

Celia sneered, "It is _none_ of your business, Dr. Shepherd. You're my _boss_ , and you're _married_. You have absolutely no say if I decide to indulge in a relationship, so back off!" Grey glared at him, but Derek disregarded her, barely hearing O'Malley uncomfortably mutter, "Daisy works in billing which is where?"

"In the basement," Celia and Derek intoned in a repeat of this morning, and despite his incensed anger, a small smile tugged on his lips. Celia ignored him completely, keeping a strong hold on Grey and the second the elevator slid open, she dragged O'Malley outside alongside them.

Derek quashed the sting of her departure and complete indifference towards him. It was time he moved on from the cut-throat Latina and focused more on rebuilding his marriage with Addison; the woman that is actually capable of sparing him positive emotions, the woman who actually moved from New York to be with him and give their marriage a second chance.

 _It was time he let Celia Chávez go_ ; _even though it pained him to do so._

 ****GA****

Done with her shift, Celia dashed into the locker room and donned on the dress Ian advised her to bring into work by text before she arrived at the hospital, without giving her a reason. With the sudden appearance of Vince, Celia now knew why. After a hysterical Bailey finished ranting to Uncle Richard about her being pregnant, she gave the Latina permission to leave early since Ian and Vince were patiently waiting for her by the parking lot, both of them wanting to splurge on dinner at Joe's, followed by a couple of drinks in time for the other interns to join them.

Being an honorary Chamberlain, Celia never had to worry over a decent paycheck, and despite the fact that she spent most of her days in the hospital for her internship, the Latina had a wonderful wardrobe filled with expensive garments made by renowned designers and a few Haute Couture ensembles; having a mother like Sophie Chamberlain did have its merits, owning clothes of the best quality had been ingrained in her since the age of ten.

She hastened to put on a Zimmerman silk folded dress, in crimson silk crepe de chine with a folded pleat detail through bodice and skirt; it was also a fully boned bodice, had shoestring straps and a center back zip closure, half lined. Her feet were clad with expensive black suede round-toe pump Christian Louboutin that were designed with a classic T-strap and an updated silhouette, and they hugged the sides of her feet, and paired it off with its matching designer purse. Adding a thin layer of black eyeliner, a thick layer of black mascara, she coated her plump lips with vamp red lipstick, left her complexion with its natural light caramel glow, and darted over to the elevator, not wanting to keep Ian and Vince waiting.

She was so absorbed in her cellphone, she didn't notice the elevator was occupied until the doors dinged shut and a sharp intake of breath permeated the air. Whipping around, her chocolate orbs widened at the sight of a smartly dressed Derek who also seemed to be leaving early for dinner, and she repressed the shiver when his unnaturally blue eyes roamed every curve and detail of her body with lust and reverence.

Celia cleared her throat awkwardly, prompting his eyes to snap up and connect intensely with hers. Shaking his head from the exquisite sight of the Latina, Derek pushed himself off the wall and smiled softly, "So, apparently we both live on this elevator." Instead of replying, the Latina returned her attention to her cell and avoided looking at him, causing him to sigh forlornly, "Celia, you know, you could at least acknowledge I exist."

The elevator door dinged open at that moment and a shocked Addison entered, her green eyes scrutinizing them in suspicion, "Hello, Dr. Chávez. You look-, wow, you look amazing." And the redhead quashed the bitterness from her tone, and the jealousy from her visage; she didn't fail to notice how her husband couldn't keep his eyes off the stunning intern. Nodding courteously, Celia spared her a small smile, "You look lovely as well, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd." The door thankfully slid open and the two Shepherds watched as her face radiated with utmost delight at the sight of the two men waiting for her.

"Damn, I may be rethinking allowing my baby sis to date you," Ian fake-grimaced as he pulled Celia out of the elevator and glared at Derek. Vince scoffed and yanked the Latina from his hold, "Awh, shut up, mate. You look gorgeous, CeCe."

"You don't look so bad yourself. You clean up nicely, Mr. Grant," Celia purred with a smirk, unintentionally walking behind the Shepherds to Joe.

Ian pouted, "What am I? Chopped liver?"

"Celia! Ian, and who's this?" Joe jovially asked with a friendly smile.

Maybe Romeo and Juliet were fated to be together, but just for a while. And then their time passed. If they could have known that beforehand maybe it would've all been okay. Celia told her father that when she was growing up, she'd take fate into her own hands, and wouldn't let some guy drag her down.

Antonio Chávez fondly informed Celia and Meredith that they'd be lucky if they ever had that kind of passion with someone, the same passion he had with Sophie Chávez. And that if we did, we'd be together forever…

Ignoring the blue-blue eyes burning a hole at her back as he followed Addison to the booth where their two friends sat, Celia flashed Joe a dazzling smile, "Vincent Grant, this is Joe the friendly bartender who saved my life when he opened his bar in front of Seattle Grace. Joe, this is Vince, my… boyfriend."

Even now, Celia believed for the most part, love is about choices, it's about putting down the poison and the dagger and make _your own_ happy ending … _most of the time,_ and that sometimes, despite all your best choices and all your best intentions, fate wins anyway.

Maybe Celia Chávez would get the Happy Ending that Antonio always wished for his daughter… but then again, maybe not, maybe it's merely wishful thinking…

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter?! XD**

 **OMG! Celia is dating Vince Grant, the sexy Chris Pine lookalike? SAY WHAT?! I told you all there are many surprises and plot-twists coming … so, did I surprise you? ;)**

 **To my confused faithful readers: Yes, Celia Chávez does not date, but not exactly by choice… it's all part of the mystery of the Latina and her many skeletons in the closet. Vince dared her, and him being her brother's best friend, she decided to give it a shot, hoping that the relationship wouldn't end like her previous ones (the curse)… you will all understand Celia's background in due time, I cannot reveal all her secrets otherwise the story would be dull. I have to keep you all in suspense, no? ;)**

 **Although, with the arrival of Ian last chapter, there has been a few clues to Celia and we got to know her better; such as, she comes from a famous family of skilled surgeons, and she has siblings and loved ones, despite her animosity towards her mother and emotionless state. This chapter, I don't know if you understood the small clue, but yes, Celia did try and commit suicide, and Ian pulled her out of it. Be patient my lovelies, and everything will unravel in due time.**

 **To all the Delia fans, like I said before, they are a slow-burn. Vince Grant is a bump in the road to the future of Delia, and trust me on this, there will be many more bumps. I don't want to make it a fairy tale where Derek acts all McDreamy and Celia falls into his arms immediately. No, Celia is, as the chapter states: Tough As Nails.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed it, and I cannot wait for all the excitement I have planned for the next chapters! ;)**

 **R &R.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Ian Chamberlain – Chris Evans.**

 **Vince Grant – Chris Pine.**

 **Chapter 18:**

Thanksgiving; gratitude, appreciation, giving thanks … No matter what words you use, it all means the same thing. _Happy_. Gratitude turns what you have into enough, and more; it turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity … it makes sense of your past, brings peace for the day, and creates a vision for the future … Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows.

But if you ask Celia … Thanksgiving: the holiday to be grateful and to appreciate life, the celebration where one congregates around the table and partakes in a ridiculously lavish feast that took approximately _eighteen hours_ to complete and scarf-up in less than an hour while declaring whatever thanks one had in the duration of a year … to Celia, _that_ is merely overrated.

"What are you two doing?" Ian suddenly piped up from behind them, prompting Celia and Meredith, both of whom were trying to blend in with the shadows, to jump in fright and place a startled hand over their chest. Celia grabbed her mischievous brother by the arm and yanked him into their hiding spot before whispering, " _Shh_! Are you trying to get us caught?!"

Mirth danced in a pair of entrancing cobalt eyes and an amused smirk curled on Ian's lips, "Okay, scratch that. Why are we whispering?" he asked instead, the timbre of his voice imitating Celia's. In response, Meredith pointed an accusing finger toward the kitchen where Izzie was humming in elation – which was creepy and irritating – while perusing through recipe's and cookbooks, all of which were spread out in front of her beside a gigantic frozen turkey.

"Izzie is happy. Like, freakishly, chipper happy," Meredith hissed, a quiver in her voice, " _And_ she's going all out for Thanksgiving. Do we look like the type of girls that would rather skip work and participate in a stupid dinner to declare our appreciation for nothing whatsoever?! _No!_ " the blonde answered her own rhetoric question in a huff, irritation clear in her expression. Ian whipped around to see his Latina sister nodding in wholehearted agreement, and he felt his heart sink.

Holidays were usually an event for happiness, to spread joy, and indulge in its many fruitful benefits. But Celia was an exception; Celia Chávez used to adore the holidays, going as extreme as to create made-up holidays in her head just for the sake of it and to spread cheer with her jolly father… and then he died months before the first holiday of the year, which so happened to be Thanksgiving. Nine-year-old Celia spent the first Thanksgiving without her father barricaded in her bedroom, bawling her eyes out under the duvet while Sophie pranced around in bars, leaving her only child alone in a big, empty house with Meredith, whose mother decided to take an extra shift at Seattle Grace. Suffice to say, nine-year-old Celia and Meredith had _nothing_ to be thankful for. … Should they be thankful for one of their dad dying, and the other leaving? …Should they be thankful for one of their mom getting drunk in sleazy bars (despite the fact that she met her current hotshot, billionaire husband at the time), and the other choosing to selfishly work during the holidays?

"CeCe-"whatever pep talk or words of inspiration Ian was about to spout off to his despondent sister, it was drowned out by a chipper, " _Hey_!" from the exuberant blonde who managed to catch them in the act of sneaking outside.

Shuttering their eyelids in unison, Celia and Meredith whipped around slowly as though they were about to face their doom; the wrath of a sprightly Isobel Stevens. "What do you think you're doing?" Izzie snapped while still inflecting that annoying chipper in her bossy tone as she wiped her hands on a towel.

We're supposed to be happy. Grateful for friends, family …happy just to be alive … whether we like it or not.

With a cheeky smirk that didn't bode well for anyone, Ian opened his mouth to _possibly_ rat them out, when the doorbell rang. Celia elbowed her brother harshly into silence, and simultaneously, Meredith stammered out, "Uh… answering the door, _of course!_ "

"Of course," Ian sarcastically muttered.

Not usually one to entertain those insulting and ludicrous stereotypes, but Celia desperately wished the blonde one applied to Izzie. But alas, no such luck; her shrewd brown orbs narrowed in on the amused Ian, guilty Meredith and annoyed Celia, "You're going to the hospital?" the way she said it, it was as though they had personally offended her, … or killed her puppy – _not George_ , an actual, honest-to-god, authentic puppy.

"Yes, we were," Celia shrugged, not bothering to sugarcoat the truth and obey the whims of the irritatingly cheerful blonde. Meredith facepalmed, waiting for the ranter from Dr. Model while Ian had a perpetual smirk on his face, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in perfect view for the show.

Dropping her jaw in horror, Izzie berated them, "Celia, Meredith, _everyone_ is supposed to be in the kitchen by _9AM_ to help me make dinner. It's _Thanksgiving_ , it's like a family-"

Blondie's life was seriously saved by the bell dinging impatiently, because Celia was inches away from throttling her; she just _assumed_ that the twisted sisters wanted to attend the accursed holiday dinner and _lie_ that life was all rainbows and butterflies and freaking pink ponies! Ian must have answered the front door, because the next thing all the inhabitants in the house knew, a stampede of three obnoxiously loud men charged up the staircase, boisterously screaming, "O'MALLEY!"

"Should I call the police?" Izzie whispered, but her inquiry fell on deaf ears since she was the only person in the room. Celia, Meredith and Ian managed to sneak out and escape during the ruckus, and as they clambered into Meredith's jeep, Celia burst out into a fit of giggles, " _Georgie_? Seriously? That pet name just made my day!"

 ****GA****

The fact that Ian decided to remain in Seattle to spend Celia's first thanksgiving as an intern with her, consumed her in love and warmth. Her many pleas for Ian to depart to Beverly Hills and enjoy the holiday with Veronica and their family fell on deaf ears; Ian was adamant in helping his little sister shed her emotionless, bitch exterior and revert back to her bubbly and vivacious state, before the … _event_ happened that changed her for the worse. Vincent, Celia's boyf-, _God_ , it really seems incredibly unbelievable to say it, or even _think_ it – her _boyfriend_ made the trip down to Los Angeles to have Thanksgiving with his tight-knit family, and in all honesty, Celia couldn't be more pleased.

Having a boyfriend was one thing, but partaking their first holiday together as a couple, only a fortnight into their relationship, not to forget a holiday Celia didn't put much faith into anymore… well, let's just say, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, Celia was extremely grateful that Vincent decided to visit his family.

"Grey. Chávez." The two aforementioned interns looked up to see Bailey standing in front of them in the locker room. "We're working with a temp Attending today. Dr. Kent. He's subbing in from Mercy West. We need to get him oriented," upon receiving two obedient nods, the Nazi turned to leave before halting, and in a softer tone, said, "And thank you for volunteering to come in. Saving me from having to choose an intern to torture."

Celia's lips quirked in amusement; even when using a kind and gentle tone, the Nazi still managed to mete out morbid humor that didn't bode well for anyone in the vicinity.

Meredith grinned and sarcastically saluted her, "Happy to be tortured."

Scrutinizing her two interns sharply, Bailey lightly commented, "Not a fan of Thanksgiving?"

With a harsh scoff, Celia shrugged nonchalantly as she slammed her locker door shut, "Oh, God no. Not a whole hell of a lot to be thankful for."

With a slight nod, Bailey inclined her head, gesturing for them to follow her, and as they walked down the hallway together, she decided to add her two cents in, "I like Thanksgiving. Day people spend with their families. Too much family time triggers depression, repressed childhood rage, bitter disputes over the remote and way too much alcohol-"they came to a stop in front of the elevators, "-people get stupid. People get violent. People get hurt."

Celia's face morphed into a Cheshire smile, "Ohh, I like how you think, Dr. Bailey. A boatload of surgeries." Bailey grinned in response and Meredith thoughtfully frowned, "Huh, I never thought of that."

"The stupidity of the human race, Grey. Be thankful for _that_ ," Bailey remarked. Celia smirked, "Well, I should be thankful that I come from a family of surgeons. Thanksgiving in the Chamberlain household is intense but it never ended with a trip to the hospital since we had everything we needed at home. Doctors, equipment, the whole shebang." Meredith laughed slightly and Bailey raised her eyebrows, surprised that the frigid Latina was opening up and doling out information concerning her private life.

Huh, what do you know? There are a few things to be thankful for.

The trio rode the elevator in a comfortable silence and after getting off, they approached a cute man who looked to be, approximately in his late thirties, early forties, with greenish-brown eyes, light brown hair and what looked to be a perpetual scowl standing in the middle of the hallway looking over some patient files. "Dr. Kent?" Bailey inquired. Celia gaped in astonishment as Kent stalked down the hallways rudely and dismissively snapped, "Yes?"

Ooh, he better watch himself around the Nazi!

"Uh, I'm the surgical resident assisting you today," Bailey respectfully uttered, despite the frown looming on her forehead, "I know you're subbing in from Mercy West so if there's anything I can do to help-"

"Look," Kent ceased in his footsteps and harshly interrupted the rest of Bailey's speech, "I'm here for one day. I don't need my ass kissed. All I need is to tell you what to do and you do it. And I _don't like_ mistakes." _Oh, hell no_ , shit be going down, and Celia shamelessly smirked at the Attending's mistake – Bailey will definitely crucify him. Meredith seemed to be thinking among the same lines, for after trading a gobsmacked look with the Latina, she glanced at their Resident for her reaction. Bailey looked offended, her frown deepening, "I don't make mistakes."

"Whatever," and there he goes again, blatantly dismissing the Nazi; rudely. "There's only one Resident I want in my OR. Guy they call the Nazi. Do you know him?" Bailey and Meredith shared a 'look' and Celia had to use all her restraint to suppress the bubble of laughter that threatened to erupt, especially when Bailey acted confused just to spite the rude Attending. Dr. Kent continued with his embarrassing (for him, at least) speech that would come to bite him in the ass later on, "He gets great word of mouth. Stellar rep. Balls the size of Texas."

Bailey's eyebrows rose impressively, to the extent that they disappeared in her hairline, "That big? Sounds like an impressively talented _man_ this _Nazi_." The trio shared a subtle, conspiratorial smile – yup, Dr. Kent is definitely going down. The aforementioned impatiently snapped, "Do you know him or not?"

"Never heard of _him_ ," Bailey dryly retorted, losing her courteous attitude which elicited a smile out of the twisted interns, "But I'll be sure to keep an eye out."

Dr. Kent sighed in annoyance, "For now, you can work on smaller cases. A guy just came into curtain 3. Page me if you get confused." and with that, he stalked off without another word.

"Rude, cocky, chauvinistic ass of a man," Celia muttered. Bailey rolled her eyes and glared at Kent's retreating back as she addressed her interns, "Like I said, the stupidity of the human race."

Meredith shook her head in frustration and rhetorically whispered to the Latina, "Do all Attendings have a massive ego?" Shrugging, Celia waved a hand noncommittally, "Your guess is as good as mine. But from what we've seen, I'm not holding on to much hope."

Pulling back Curtain 3, chocolate orbs scrutinized the comatose patient on the bed and the sound of Syph-Nurse, Olivia, snapped her attention elsewhere. "Holden McKee brought in from Mayfield Nursing Home," and she gave Bailey his chart. A dark scowl took over the Nazi's mien, "Mayfield? He's in the garden?"

"Garden?" Celia and Meredith intoned, suddenly dubious over Bailey's current state of mind. But she quickly overrode their doubts, "Vegetable."

"Yeah, his chart says he fell into a persistent vegetative state 16 years ago," Syph-Nurse piped up. _Huh, why is he here then?_ Meredith peeked into his chart and read aloud, "He was a firefighter. Injured by falling debris in the line of duty."

Reiterating Celia's previous thoughts, Bailey asked Syph-Nurse, "What brings him here today?"

"Fell from his bed while being turned by the orderlies. Insurance says he has to be checked out," was the prompt reply. Bailey ordered Meredith to examine him; "Temporal parietal scalp lace with associated hematoma," Meredith expertly announced, "The plan should be to irrigate and explore the wound. Repair the lac. He'll need a CT to rule out intra-cerebral hemorrhage, contusion or cerebral edema."

Nodding in approval, Bailey uttered, "Go to it. Anybody asks, I'm off looking for the Nazi. Celia make yourself useful and go find a patient, any patient, doesn't matter."

Celia couldn't help but be grateful to the Nazi; she didn't want a Neuro patient, like _at all_! Damn, why is she grateful for many things all of a sudden?!

 ****GA****

After spending an hour suturing patients and listening to their angry relatives rant, and yell, and rage, right above her head, Celia decided to take a well-earned break and roamed the halls searching for a friendly face. Seriously, the dudes and the gals are already wounded and in need for stitches, why on earth would they continue their ridiculous family powwow in the hospital, precisely over her head?! The Latina was in desperate need for an aspirin.

"Celia!"

The Latina's face broke out into a smile at the sound of her godfather's voice, but it wobbled slightly when she witnessed Derek standing beside him, blue-blue eyes scorching her with passionate intensity. Ignoring the Attending, Celia approached Richard Webber, "Uncle Rich, what are you doing here? Auntie Adele's gonna kill you."

"I'm going home," Richard chuckled nervously in response, but Celia didn't believe him, not one bit, and she portrayed her disbelief by crossing her arms and cynically arching her eyebrows. Exhaling loudly, his shoulders slumped, "Adele's sister is in town. You know how much I hate that woman."

She couldn't help it; Celia chuckled slightly, knowing too well how infuriating Auntie Adele's sister could be, although her daughter was pretty awesome. "Where's Ian?" she asked instead, deciding to throw her godfather a bone.

"Oh, he went to call Veronica," was the absent reply. Clearing his throat, Derek helped the Chief out, "You know, Richard, the OR board needs to be checked one more time."

A bright smile overtook Richard's features, "It does, doesn't it? Excuse me, CeCe," and he scampered off before the Latina could lecture him some more. Gaping at her godfather's retreating back in shock, Celia belatedly noticed that she now stood alone with Derek – much to her horror.

"I didn't think you'd be here today," Derek commented softly, eyes shining with lust and delight, making her shift uncomfortably. Narrowing her steely chocolate orbs onto the Attending in question, Celia shrugged, "You shouldn't be thinking about me, _period_ , Dr. Shepherd."

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose, peeved with her cold, blatant dismissal and emotionally exhausted of pining after the fiery Latina intern. Two weeks ago, Derek made a promise to himself after witnessing the woman he was inlo-, the woman he was _enamored by_ act all cozy with Vincent Grant at Joe's Bar; a promise to give up on wooing her over, and to work on fixing his marriage with Addison. For two weeks, Derek watched from afar as she treated patients with tender care and even some with vexation, efficiently scrubbed in on surgeries, hung out with her fellow interns and her older brother, but what burned him the most, the subject of his torment, was seeing the impassive, emotionless Latina latch onto Vincent Grant who managed to bring out many genuine smiles and mellifluous laughter out of her … a feat he nearly triumphed at before Addison's untimely arrival.

"Celia, I'm trying here, I'm trying to forget about you, I'm trying to keep my distance from you, and I _can't_. Believe me, I tried!" Derek's voice had a desperate quality, startling the intern with its intensity, "Can't we at least be civil with each other? Try and become friends?"

The hopeful question had Celia's heart clench in anguish, and slowly, almost in trepidation, she shook her head, "I'm sorry, Dr. Shepherd, the best course to take, would be for us to maintain a _professional_ relationship. You're my boss, _and_ my boss's boss. You're an Attending. I'm an intern. I've moved on, it's time you did too." The crestfallen expression on his gorgeous visage was painful to look at, and thankfully, Meredith appeared in impeccable timing.

 _Great! Another darn thing to be grateful for!_ Celia was seriously on a roll.

"Dr. Shepherd, I need a neuro consult," Meredith handed over the file to the desolate Attending, "Holden McKee. PVS. 16 years."

Adopting a professional posture, Derek perused the patient's file with a frown, "Well, there's no bleed, there's no mass, no fracture. He can be discharged."

Meredith shook her head, "Well he opened his eyes when I was examining him. _He opened his eyes_."

Seeing that Derek was successfully distracted with the anomaly of the vegetable patient, Celia stealthily snuck off, turning the corner and leaning against the wall with closed eyes, willing for the pain in her heart to subside. Her phone suddenly buzzed, vibrating against her thigh, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her mien as she hit the reply button.

"Hey, Vince! How's LA?"

The sound of her _boyfriend_ 's voice soothed her and her disposition brightened, but then … _why was her heart still clenched in agony?_

 ****GA****

Meredith stood by the side, quietly observing Derek Shepherd examine Holden McKee. Derek stood on one side of the bed checking Holden's eyes with a small flashlight; sighing, he extinguished the light and focused on the intern, "There's no sustained visual pursuit. You might have just seen him respond to some sort of external stimuli. He wasn't looking at you. I'm sorry." And he meant it; Derek knew the feeling of wanting to prove yourself as an intern, or the feeling of hope being snatched away, but most of all, Derek knew the bitter feeling of uselessness in the face of a hopeless patient and the overwhelming desire to pull out a miracle and save them, to no avail.

Leaning over Holden, Meredith frowned, an annoyed expression taking over her features, "And I was sure he was-"suddenly, Holden's eyes snapped open and darted toward a stunned Meredith, " _Look_! He did it again."

Derek pounced and wasted no time in beckoning the patient to focus on the beam of the flashlight, "Mr. McKee, can you follow the light?" But Holden's eyes remained still, ignoring the movement of the light and the sound of Derek's voice. Adamant in giving it one last try, Derek urgently asked, "Can you hold up two fingers?"

No movement again. Meredith sighed forlornly, "Well okay, I guess you're late for something so-"but Derek's attention was focused solely on Holden whose eyes were moving toward the sound of Meredith's voice and he cut in, "Keep talking."

"What?"

Derek gestured for her to walk over to his side, eyes widening as the patient's eyes followed Meredith as she continued to speak. The Adonis Attending was amazed at the turn of events, "Well, I'll be damned. He's tracking you, Dr. Grey. He's following your voice."

They immediately examined the X-Rays, both the Attending and the intern alarmed with the results staring back at them. Meredith's face was set in utter horror as she recapped Derek's examination, "He's been PVS for 16 years. He's minimally conscious and no one noticed?!"

"Had he been in a state of the art neural facility, they'd have tested him but… He was in a regular nursing home so they just missed it," Derek sadly informed her.

"He's been frozen. Sleeping for 16 years and they missed it. That sucks," Meredith groused out. Smiling softly, Derek concentrated on the best friend of the Latina he was so infatuated with, "There's one thing to be thankful for. We might be able to wake him."

A smile automatically appeared on the twisted intern's beautiful mien and she nodded in agreement. As they approached Holden's room, Derek's hand paused on the doorknob, his expression slightly taut, "Dr. Grey? If Celia doesn't date, why is she now?"

Sucking a sharp intake of breath, Meredith's face was a mixture of defiance in loyalty to her best friend's privacy, and pity concerning the Attending's obvious distress. Deciding to be neutral, Meredith stared into tormented blue eyes, "Dr. Shepherd, as inappropriate as your question may be, all I can tell you is that you lost your chance when you lied about your marriage. Celia doesn't appreciate cheating and she detests being lied to. She's trying to move on, and if you love her-, if you truly love and care for her, then you'll set her free."

Derek Shepherd's heart clenched at those words. Images of the spunky Latina and _him_ flashing right before his eyes, almost in torment. _Did he love her? Was he that obvious? How could he set her free, when all he wanted was to hold her tight in his arms and never let her go?_

 ****GA****

"There you are! _God_ , I've been looking _all over_ for you," Celia announced in a disgruntled tone as she glared at Alex, "Out of all the places I chose to search, I don't know why our hallway completely escaped me."

Startled, Alex slammed his book shut and tried hiding it from the shrewd Latina's view, but he was too late, if he was to read her arched eyebrow correctly. In a snarky tone, Alex said, "Yeah, well. That's sort of the point. Hide in clear sight and all that jazz."

Scooching over to her fellow twisted friend's side, Celia lifted both hands up in a placating manner, "I'm not going to snoop. I'm not going to ask. Whatever you do in your own free time is your business. If you want to tell me, I won't stop you. Like that giant book you're failing in hiding from me, I can turn a blind eye. It's cool," she smirked, eliciting a smile out of Alex as he hesitantly opened the book to its prior page.

True to her statement, Celia remained by Alex's side, leaning against the wall with her eyes clamped, not once interrogating him over his suspicious action. In fact, it wasn't until Izzie's voice permeated the air, did she snap her orbs open and stare inquisitively at Alex. " _Alex, its Izzie. If you're not coming you could have at least have the decency to call and tell me_." Frustrated, Alex shut his phone off and hit his head against the wall.

"Trouble in paradise? Or are you a Thanksgiving hater like me and Death?" Celia grinned, though her tone remained serious. Alex sighed, "The second one but, I'm guessing that now I'll definitely be experiencing 'trouble in paradise'."

Celia hummed, and the silence resumed once again. She didn't know how much time had passed until Meredith approached them and slumped down to her right, "Ugh, waiting for my patient to wake up is a bitch," Meredith then frowned, as though just noticing Alex's presence, "Why aren't you at the Thanksgiving?"

"'Cause Alex, like us, is a hater. Isn't that great?" Celia announced in mock cheer. Alex smiled wryly and shut his book, pushing it away, deciding to take a small break, "How about… I tell you both something, and in return, you two tell me something?"

Sharing a glance, Meredith shrugged and nodded; simultaneously, Celia said, "I'm game. But I ain't starting."

Closing her patient file, Meredith inhaled a deep breath, "Ok. I feel like one of those people whose so freaking miserable they can't be around normal people – and before you ask, _no_. CeCe, like me, isn't normal, so she doesn't fit into that category-"Alex smirked and Celia glared in mock offense, "-I feel like, I'll infect the happy people. Like, I'm some miserable, diseased, plague. Your turn."

"I failed the medical boards," Alex huffed, diverting eye contact from the two female interns, "If I tell Izzie, she'll be nice about it and all supportive and optimistic. She might as well rip my nads off and turn them into earrings," he scoffed. Celia shook her head, "You're an idiot. That's no excuse regarding us. Cristina, Death and I wouldn't judge. We'd help you study for the board without judgment."

Meredith nodded vigorously bringing out a wide smile from Alex, "Thanks, CeCe. It's your turn."

Shuttering her eyes for a minute, Celia couldn't suppress the misery from pouring out and intertwining with her words, "Thanksgiving was my dad's favorite holiday. Actually, my dad was a jolly, jovial man who adored all holidays… Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, anything with a celebration, you name it. Growing up, I idolized my dad, and my personality, believe it or not, was identical to his. Then, he died, and I spent my first Thanksgiving alone with Mer, crying in my room while my mother bar-hopped in a drunken state. Not even a year after his death, Sophie remarried." Alex seemed enthralled with the new insight to the mysterious Latina's past while Meredith clutched her hand tightly in hers. "Noah Chamberlain may be a hotshot neurosurgeon and Chief of Surgery, but to him, family _always_ came first. My first Thanksgiving with them, I wanted to skip, but my mother practically forced me to attend. Noah was sympathetic and gave me the option of bailing, but Sophie wouldn't have that. Every year, I feel empty without my dad, and this is the first year I get to skip Thanksgiving. But, with Ian staying in Seattle and Izzie gone barmy… I won't be able to," she finished sadly.

Celia could never shake off the feeling that she was betraying her father by celebrating the holidays, even though she _knew_ Antonio Chávez would be disappointed with her lack of enthusiasm and participation in the holidays.

"Can I ask you something?" Alex finally uttered.

"You already did," Meredith teased, trying to lighten up the ambience. Rolling his eyes in humor, Alex addressed the sullen Latina, "Your father sounds like a great man, and your mother, well, she-"

"Is a bitch?" Celia smirked, letting out a chuckle, "It's okay. You can say it. My mother changed after my dad died. She cared more about exclusive events, and being the belle of the ball. Sucking up to rich people, maintaining a respectable image and attending country clubs with her fake blue-blooded friends."

Meredith sighed despondently and mumbled to herself, "Happy Thanksgiving."

 ****GA****

Frowning at her pager, Celia ambled toward the Trauma room in confusion, wondering who in the heavens was insisting for her expertise so badly when she had no patient to check up on. Chocolate orbs widened and plump lips parted open in shock at the scene playing out in front of her; the three obnoxious strangers from this morning were all congregated in the room along with a brooding George.

"Uh, George? You paged?" Celia addressed him, not once diverting her shocked orbs from the chubby, greying man lying on the hospital gurney face down in a hospital gown before they flickered in astonishment toward the two younger males that had the gall to play around with the equipment. George winced at the incredulous expression on the scary Latina's face while still managing to look dismayed at his older brothers' actions.

One of the brothers dropped the clamp and ogled at Celia before letting out a lewd whistle, "Wow, Georgie. Who's the brawd?"

"Ronny. Don't," George warned him, fearing for his brother's safety and before Celia could dress him down with a huge tongue-lashing, he quickly captured her attention, "Celia, I need your help. I kind of, well, uh, I shot my Dad in the ass and well, I need you to help him." He then leaned in and desperately whispered, "I can't examine _my dad's_ _ass_. I'll never be able to look at him in the face again!"

Stifling her laughter at the humorous situation, Celia lightly patted him on the shoulder, "Chill, Puppy. Alrighty then. Hello, Mr. O'Malley, I'm Dr. Chávez," she smiled charismatically as she approached his bedside, "I'm going to have to inject you with something to numb the area and then we can get started. Any questions?"

"Ahh, it's alright, ah, I'm fine, I don't need anything, it doesn't even hurt that bad," Mr. O'Malley nervously stammered, eyeing the needle with trepidation. Smiling softly, Celia kept her expression warm yet stern, "With all due respect, Mr. O'Malley, you have a birdshot embedded in your rear. You can't live with it, first of all it's grossly unhealthy and could spread germs, disease, you name it, and second of all, I promise you it will hurt like a bitch later on of you keep it in. So, drop 'em."

Celia quietly worked on George's dad while his brothers started arguing about cars in the background, much to George's annoyance. Wow, and she thought her family was intense.

The other brother- Jerry, suddenly focused on George, "Pick a car, Georgie."

"No thanks."

"What about you, Dr. Sex-On-Legs?" Ronny offered; George stiffened and facepalmed himself, waiting for the apocalypse to erupt, but Celia merely laughed, "Dr. Sex-On-Legs? Huh, that's a new one, but, if it's aright with you two gents, I'd rather concentrate on your father lest I make a mistake that causes him unimaginable pain."

The four O'Malleys blanched much to the Latina's nefarious amusement and they went back to urging George to pick a car. A miracle seemed to occur right before Celia's very eyes; a Thanksgiving-Miracle: an angry George exploded, shedding his docile Bambi exterior.

"Jerry. First you say the GTO. Ronny counters with the Bel Air which _never_ fails to make Dad say the GT 500." He then gestured toward Ronny, "The Cobra," and then pointed at Jerry, "The Chieftan. _Then_ someone names a German car, which _invariably_ starts the American versus foreign debate that usually ends when one of you brings up the Deville. And that always, _always_ leads to the _unbelievably_ _long_ discussion on the merits of the '57 Thunderbird," his nuance increased, and a profusely flushed Puppy was full-on yelling while the O'Malley padre and obnoxious brothers gaped blankly, "So how about I just jump to the end and name the Thunderbird now so that _once in our lives_ we can _stop_ _picking cars_!" He turned to leave and just before he slammed the door shut, he shouted, " _And my name_ _is George!_ "

The room was permeated with a suffocated tension after George's rant and angry – quite dramatic – exit. Celia couldn't help but mutter, "God, I hate Thanksgiving." She got to work on prepping Mr. O'Malley to remove the bullet and worked diligently in silence.

Once done, Celia repressed sighing in relief, wanting nothing more but to evacuate the uncomfortable room. Ronny and Jerry left a while back, and just as Celia extracted her gloves, the door opened and a morose George entered the room.

"Okiee then. George, I'm all done. So, I'm going to give you two some privacy. It was nice meeting you, despite the circumstances, Mr. O'Malley. Ba-bye now!" and she fled as though the room was on fire, ecstatic in making a large distance between her and anyone with the last name of O'Malley.

 ****GA****

Celia trudged over to the locker room, knowing that she avoided Izzie's stupid Thanksgiving dinner for as long as possible. Pocketing her phone, she suddenly froze as she was a hairsbreadth away from bumping into Derek. Sidestepping him, she went to create distance between them, when his strong, large hand curled around her twiggy wrist and he emotionally whispered, "Celia…"

"Dr. Shep-. _Derek_ , _please_. Please, please just let me go," Celia implored, discarding her icy tone.

The sound of his name coming out of her plump, sultry lips elicited shivers down his spine and Derek had to fight hard to suppress a moan from erupting. "I've tried, Celia. I _cannot_ stay away from you. God, I don't even _want_ _to_. I'm done trying. I'm done fighting what I want over what I should do. I want you, not Addison. _You_." He let go of her wrist and interlaced his fingers with her soft petite ones.

Horror, joy, and disbelief all meshed together at the startling confession. Celia ripped her hand from his, ignoring the tingles from where their skin connected and she hugged her body, " _Dr. Shepherd_ , you can't-. _Damn it, Derek! You can't do this_. You have a wife, I have a boyfriend, and you know what? Even if I _didn't_ have a boyfriend, I would still keep my distance from you. You already told me that you owe it to yourself, to Addison, and to your decade-long marriage to give it a shot."

"And I did. I am. Celia, _argh_! I cannot lie to myself anymore. Addie and I, we're, it's just not working. It's not the same. It's not the same as when I'm with _you,_ " Derek tugged harshly on his perfect moussed hair in aggravation, "I cannot sleep at night, I can barely think, eat, anything I do, I think of you. Whenever I'm around Addison, I keep comparing her to you. I want _you_ , not her. You, Celia. _You_ ," he pleaded, emotion seeping into his words.

"It's too late," she whispered.

Derek snarled, looking quite deranged as he let out a bitter chuckle, envy flashing in his blue-blue eyes, "Why? Because of your _boyfriend_?"

"No," Celia simply responded, "Because I don't trust you."

Derek recoiled as though he were slapped, and before he could persuade her, or defend himself, she left, chocolate orbs clenching shut as she ignored the crippling pain spreading through her veins and reaching her heart. Entering the locker room, she breathed in relief at seeing Meredith. Relief quickly turned into guilt upon noticing both George and Cristina there as well.

"Holy shit! What are you doing here?" Celia gasped; Cristina was supposed to be at the house with Izzie and Burke, and Mr. O'Malley was discharged _hours_ ago. Cristina grimaced and looked away in shame, while George blurted out, "Oh. This is beyond bad."

"Izzie's going to be furious," Meredith sheepishly mumbled.

 ****GA****

The pouring rain symbolized Derek's current mood; bleak and morose. Forlornly, he clambered out of his car and ambled toward the warmth of the trailer, but he abruptly halted in his tracks when he found himself facing Addison standing outside by the pasture.

"You didn't show," she whispered sadly, and all Derek could do, was give her a barely noticeable nod, "So, um … I bought Chinese food. And I waited. It was good. Now it's lukewarm and old. Which makes it just like the food we used to have in medical school. So…" He turned away, unable to witness the pain he was causing her because of his damn chaotic feelings. "Derek, are you done? Hurting me back? I mean, cause I need to know," Addison was full on sobbing now, unable to repress the tears from cascading down her pale cheeks, "Cause if not … "she shook her head and stormed into the trailer, her heart wrenching sobs pervading the air.

Drenched in rain, Derek stood rooted in his spot, not noticing that his own tears were mingling with the rain. "I'm sorry, Addie," he whispered to himself, his desolate words fusing and blowing away with the harsh, whipping wind, "I never meant to hurt you. It's just, you're- you're not _her_. And you never will be. And I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry."

 ****GA****

On the way back home, Celia distracted herself by replaying the palpable shock on Dr. Kent's face when he discovered that Bailey was, in all actuality, the Nazi with 'balls the size of Texas,' due to Uncle Richard's slip of the tongue.

"Well, we're here," Meredith said miserably as she parked the jeep in front of the house. Groaning, Celia jumped out of the car and trudged over to the front door as though she were walking into her execution. Before they could ready themselves for the moment they spent the whole day desperately trying to avoid, Alex approached them from behind. "You two going inside?"

"Uh-"

"Nope. They're with me," Ian's cheerful voice called out from behind; the trio whipped around in surprise and Celia scowled, "Where have you been all day? Last I heard, Uncle Richard told me you were calling Veronica."

With a shit-eating grin, Ian winked at her, "Never you mind," before turning his attention to an amused Alex, "You on the other hand, go ahead. Make your ditzy blonde girlfriend happy." Once Alex walked in, the twisted sisters arched an eyebrow at Ian in creepy unison. Ian embraced them and kissed their foreheads chastely, "CeCe, you wanna know why I stayed in Seattle for Thanksgiving?"

"To do what you and Neal and Noah always seem to want to perfect. Make me 'happy'," Celia glumly stated, making quotation marks with her fingers. Shaking his head, Ian tsked, "Nah. Dad, Neal and I always noticed your less than exuberant mood during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. But, Sophie would never allow you to skip one year. I'm here to see your wish come true."

Grinning, Meredith said, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, us three are family, always have been and always will be. I spent the whole day cleaning up Vince's apartment. I got wine, beer and tequila, along with burgers and fries. How about we pretend tonight is any normal night, and that I'm inviting you ladies out for a home-cooked meal, huh?"

Celia's face threatened to split in half as she beamed at her brother, her chocolate orbs widening in awe, "Thank you."

"Eh, what are big brothers for? Now, I advise that we leave before Izzie finds us and starts yelling, aye?" Ian smirked, escorting the twisted sisters to his car and driving away for a night of non-Thanksgiving.

Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful is recognizing what you have for what it is; appreciate small victories and admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human…

Maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know, and maybe we're thankful for things we'll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter?! XD**

 **I added some Delia moments for you guys! YAY! And, ooh, Derek is already giving up on making things work with Addison… too bad Celia isn't giving in so easily. ;)**

 **Did you like the Ian/Celia/Meredith moment in the end? Aren't they simply adorable? Also, I added more insight to Celia's past. I'm sorry for not showing Cristina… she simply didn't fit in this chapter, but next chapter for sure! XD**

 **I hope this chapter was to your liking, and the next chapter will be out sooner, 'cause I simply cannot wait for the bomb episode and for Mark's stellar arrival! SQUEAL!**

 **R &R.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Ian Chamberlain – Chris Evans.**

 **Vince Grant – Chris Pine.**

 **Chapter 19:**

All around, surgeons from Seattle Grace Hospital were ravishing one another and enjoying an intimate night filled with nothing but sexual intercourse.

Whether they were two of the most unlikely, rule-abiding surgeons that were healing after a rough patch, such as the strict Attending screwing the hardcore Intern, followed by a nasty break up and lastly the loss of an unexpected and unplanned fetus; or two Interns that despised one another at first, with one of them continuously tormenting the other by printing up pictures of her modeling days all around the hospital before they evolved into friends, risked a date which ended abysmally and then patched things up after Thanksgiving dinner; or the married hotshot Attendings, one of whom instigated an illicit affair with the other's best friend, prompting him to flee to Seattle and unexpectedly fall in love with the most unlikely of individuals, but were now desperately trying to save the tattered remains of their eleven-year-marriage, to no avail.

The twisted sisters however, they were a completely different story. Both interns were enjoying the carnal pleasures with respective non-surgeons.

Meredith decided to be risky for the night, and so, she flipped a coin and spontaneously voyaged to a random bar instead of the ever familiar Joe's where many familiar faces would observe her picking up men and spread more juicy rumors at the hospital. Naturally, that ended with her locking lips under the glorious mind-numbing effects of José with a handsome stranger she didn't bother getting the name of. In a wild turn of events, Meredith was too drunk to comprehend _how exactly_ she ended up naked in her bed with a completely different stranger, deciding to tackle that conundrum in the morning when she was more lucid.

Unlike her twisted sister and best friend, Celia had an eventful night, safely cocooned in the arms of her – believe it or not – boyfriend, who she had been dating for twenty-one days now. An unheard of miracle for the one and done Latina woman, was that after three weeks of being a couple, this particular night was the first time since establishing their relationship that they had sex for the very first time. Oh, how the tides have changed for the emotionless, frigid Latina… never before had she ever waited to have sex with a guy, and it has been nine years since Celia Chávez had a boyfriend. Fearful that the nightmares would begin, inevitably ending with her returning to her accustomed single-status, it took two hours of being caged in the soothing and warm embrace of Vincent Grant that she lost the fight and her chocolate browns shuttered, succumbing to the blissful arms of sleep.

When you were a kid, it was Halloween candy. You hid it from your parents and ate it until you got sick. In college it was the heady combo of youth, tequila and well… to eloquently put it, _sex_. As a surgeon you take as much of the good as you can get… because it doesn't come around nearly as often as it should and because good things aren't always what they seem. Too much of anything, _even_ love is not always a good thing. …That night, four interns and three Attendings took advantage of a golden opportunity, but unfortunately, as Isaac Newton stated, _'What goes up must come down,_ ' similarly, after the good times, one must be prepared for the bad that will surely follow.

Enchanting light green eyes were currently staring wide-eyed at the stranger with a russet complexion dozed off in her bed. Try as she might, Meredith wracked the intricacies of her brain, trying to conjure the hazy images of her tequila-induced night and the only conclusion she arrived at was, this guy was _definitely not_ who she started the night making out with. Donning on a fluffy pink robe to cover her nudity, Meredith stealthily ducked out of her room and barged into Ian's, the question revolving around her head being 'what happened to the other guy?' and 'how the hell did I end up with the one currently in my bed?'

Groaning loudly, Ian rubbed his unfocused cobalt blue eyes and blearily stared at Meredith's pallid face. Drowsiness and that sliver of annoyance at being awoken so suddenly quickly morphed into worry and concern and he wasted no time in embracing the girl he adopted as a little sister, "What is it, Merry?"

"There's a boy in my bed," was all the green-eyed, dirty blonde-haired intern stated, and Ian was torn between amusement and overprotectiveness. Deciding for neutrality, Ian probed, "And?"

Biting her plump lower lip, Meredith squirmed uncomfortably, "Uhh, I _think_ his name is Steve, but… I could have sworn I picked a different guy from this random bar I ventured to."

"Not that I mind being your confidant about your-"Ian grimaced, a nasty taste suddenly appearing in his mouth, "-sex life, but don't you usually go to CeCe with this?"

Suddenly, her lost look was altered into a cheeky grin and mirthful eyes, "Well, I would. But Celia isn't here. She slept over at Vince's." Before a proud Ian could come up with a retort, an unfamiliar male's voice permeated the air, prompting a groan out of Meredith, " _Ugh_! Pause. Let me kick this guy out first," leaving behind an amused Ian to freshen himself by taking a warm shower so he could get dressed for a new eventful day at Seattle Grace.

In Vincent's apartment, the sleeping couple was rudely awakened by the blaring of Celia's phone buried under a mountain of clothes that had been carelessly ripped apart and strewn the other night before tumbling into bed together. Vince's annoyed groan meshed with Celia's grumblings and she deftly extricated herself from his strong grip, jumped out of the bed completely naked and rummaged through the mess for her phone.

"Guess where I am?" was the four words that greeted the Latina the second she accepted Cristina's call. Rolling her eyes fondly, Celia averted eye-contact with heated blue-greys that were currently raking her form in approval and lust and obediently hypothesized, "Uh, the hospital?"

"Burke's apartment," Cristina snappishly informed her, " _He_ went to the hospital and left me here alone." A knowing smirk etched itself across her gorgeous mien, "You're going through his stuff, aren't you?" her pacing was abruptly deterred by a pair of muscled arms that snaked around her toned waist, pulling her down onto the bed. Her breathe hitched slightly as Vince started peppering her long, graceful, swan-like neck with kisses and bites, but she adamantly kept her pleasured moans suppressed as she waited for her twisted friend to reply.

" _Oh_! There's no stuff _to_ go through," Cristina crisply rebutted sounding vehemently disturbed and despite being in the beginning throes of passion, a brunette brow arched in surprise, "It's a freak show. I mean, you could do surgery in here," the sounds of drawers sliding open and shut echoed in the Latina's ear and she playfully nudged Vince to stop as he descended to the crook between her neck and her shoulder, leaving behind a wet trail in the process. " _Oh_! He arranged his books using the _Dewey decimal system_. Celia, I'm scared."

At that discovery and declaration, Celia shot up straight, successfully detaching her body from her boyfriend's stubborn lips as a look of utmost horror settled onto her face, " _Get out_ , Cristina. Get out of that creepy house, like _right now!_ " The conversation ended shortly after, and she found herself looking into dilated blue-grey eyes, "Vince, despite being incredibly turned on right now, I have to go to work," she pouted.

Vince grinned, and he reached out to stroke her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb; Celia Chávez did things to him, made his body feel things like never before and he still couldn't believe his luck in having her as _his_ girl, all to himself. That Attending was stupid to lie to her and let her go; but he was grateful for him, because if the Attending never lied, then Vince would have missed out on an amazing girl.

Pecking her plump lips lightly, Vince inclined his head toward the adjoined bathroom, "Alright, you go shower and I'll fix you something for breakfast." As he strode towards the door, a soft dainty hand curled around his wrist and he pivoted around to see the Latina seductively biting her lip and she purred, " _Or_ , you can join me in the shower and I can pick something up on the way…"

"You naughty minx," Vince growled and before the Latina knew it, he grabbed her around the waist and flung her over his shoulder as he raced into the bathroom, her mellifluous giggles echoing around the apartment that were soon followed by the couple's combined moans and groans of carnal pleasures as they both reached completion.

 ****GA****

When Celia finally arrived at Seattle Grace, she was greeted with two important factors through the rumor mill of the chatty, gossip-mongering denizens that mostly consisted of the nurses. Firstly, a mother of triplet boys who was currently pregnant with quintuplets girls had been admitted; that was a major boost for the Hospital and an incredible phenomenon in itself, especially since three of the babies were a hundred percent surgical in need of surgeons from all departments; and secondly, much to Celia's unadulterated joy – note the _heavy_ sarcasm – Addison Montgomery-Shepherd had finally reached to a decision and signed a contract with the Chief, establishing herself as a permanent Attending at Seattle Grace Hospital. The Latina may have wiped her hands clean of the Shepherds and their nuptial drama, but it didn't mean she was ecstatic and bouncing over the goddamn rainbow in joy over the fact that she would be in the constant presence of Satan.

Just when she was having a good morning, bad news had to supervene and ruin her mood.

 _Fuck. Me._

Currently, Celia was sitting outside on the interns accustomed bench with Meredith and Cristina, all three of them sporting the heavenly take-away coffee cups in their hands as they each shared their sordid affairs with their respective partners – or in Death's case, her random pickup.

"They always look so sad when I kick them out," Meredith commented, eliciting chuckles from the three twisted friends. Shaking her head in disbelief, she continued, "Seriously, why do guys _not_ understand that when you pick them up in a bar and take them home for sex, that there are no picket fences in your future?"

Scoffing, Celia gave her twisted sister a deadpanned glare, "Your guess is as good as mine. But if you really want insight, head on inside and question _him_." Meredith and Cristina instantly grimaced, recalling the months after Celia thought their boss was just some random stranger in a bar who constantly began bombarding her with imploring dates and insisting for the whole future shebang. To get off the morbid, kind of taboo subject of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, A.K.A, Derek Shepherd, Cristina fumbled with her pocket and proceeded to yank out a shiny, bronze key in display, prompting the other two's jaws to drop and nearly hit the ground in a comical fashion.

"Burke keyed you?" Meredith choked out, her shock morphing into amusement as a smile flittered across her face. Grumbling in annoyance, the Korean Intern shoved the accursed object back into her pocket, "Got freaking keyed before coffee!"

Chuckling at the hilarity of their situation, Celia rhetorically inquired, "What is _wrong_ with them? I mean, yeah, I'm not a part of the single population anymore, but before Vince… _he_ was like, the only guy that couldn't take no for an answer and in desperate need for more out of an already nonexistent relationship. I mean, what the hell?!"

Shaking her head in vexation, Cristina loudly said, "They're like these 1950s debutantes. One dance and there's a shot gun to your head."

Before the 'Breakfast Club' could continue whining about men and their love lives, a shadow loomed over them and the three interns glanced upwards to see a young man who looked to be of ethnic origins and in major discomfort gaping in shock at Meredith who currently resembled a fish out of the water.

"Meredith? You work here?"

After being nudged by the interns on either side of her, Meredith recovered from her state of pure shock and demanded in a would-be casual tone, "What are you doing here, Steve?"

"Oh, this is good," Celia murmured, leaning back to watch the scene play out. Steve – Meredith's one-nighter, swallowed nervously, his black eyes swiveling from each intern, "I'm having a little problem." And it was at that point, the penny dropped for Cristina as it was her turn to gape at Meredith and she gasped out, "Steve, Steve?"

Poor Meredith; the girl just couldn't catch a break… Steve's _little_ problem, ended up being a _big_ problem since _little Steve_ was … well, let's just say, Meredith _broke_ his penis; she put little Steve out of business, and Celia was torn between being supportive to her sister's mortifying plight, or laugh her ass off at Steve's agonizing situation.

 ****GA****

Okay, so … since Celia was bequeathed the elaborate title of Meredith's best friend _and_ sister while Cristina won the title of Meredith's person, both twisted interns were duty-bound to aid in her plight. So, step number one: hide Steve from the Nazi's line of vision had already began and was underway. Thank the Lord Steve had the brains to keep his _little_ problem cloaked by his jacket from the many prying eyes belonging to the bloodhounds in Seattle Grace, and together, the three interns skulked inside the hospital, dragging the anguished man down the hallway in the hopes of reaching the exam room without being caught.

"Do you think it's serious?" Steve whined, repeating that damn question for the fifth time already- the dude should seriously grow a pair… oops, his pair broke- _never mind_ , "It hurts like its serious." Celia put all her willpower into _not_ blowing up at the dude… in his defense, the poor man got lucky with a total hottie the other night and his reward was to be brusquely kicked out without even a smile or any kind words, followed by a broken penis. Celia grumbled, realizing she couldn't explode at Steve since he was already going through a harsh day, and he didn't need to be scared to death on top of the destruction of his crown jewels.

Glancing sideways at Meredith, Cristina couldn't help but _helpfully_ point out the obvious, "You realize this is completely insane." While the two of them instigated a trivial argument over Death's insanity, the Latina kept her eyes peeled for the foreboding form of the Nazi. "Well we have to stash him somewhere till we figure out what's wrong with him. I can't have the whole hospital finding out," Meredith groused out.

"I am _not_ going down for this," Cristina adamantly insisted, "It's not my fault you broke this guy's penis."

And then, the distinctive voice that instilled fear in even the bravest of warriors hearts and even old, fully-grown men, boomed from behind them, "Broke his _WHAT_?" In an almost rehearsed fashion, the three twisted interns visibly froze in place, clamped their eyes shut and in an excruciatingly slow motion, pivoted around to face their doom. Deciding to risk it, Celia murmured to them, " _Run_!"

"Uh, _hey_!" Bailey boomed out once again, and the Latina could have sworn the earth began to shake and tremble with every step she took towards them, "Don't make me chase you down. I'm growing a person here." Choosing to take the coward's way out, Cristina straightened up and blurted out, "I gotta check on some labs," and she zoomed away from the scene as though her life depended on it.

In all actuality, Celia didn't blame the Korean intern, not even one teeny weeny bit. Facing the Nazi's warpath on any regular day was already an immensely terrifying experience, however, ever since Bailey got pregnant, her ire seemed to have surmounted, and nowadays, interns, residents and even Attendings would see their lives flash before their very eyes when being confronted by the now-pregnant-Nazi. The Chief wasn't even exempt from her wrath. If Death wasn't her sister in all but blood, then Celia would have skedaddled the very second Bailey appeared. Even Cruella De Vil wasn't immune to Bailey's terrifying temper, especially coupled with bouts of moody, random hormones thanks to the 'joys' of pregnancy.

With a sigh of defeat, Meredith explained her current problem to an unamused Bailey while she escorted him into an exam room, prompting the Nazi to shadow them and breathe down their necks, "We were just uh, bringing him up here because he's got ah, this…"she chanced an imploring glance at Celia who was innocently whistling behind Bailey, " _Problem_ you see. He's a, a friend," she lamely concluded eliciting a snort out of Celia and a disbelieving glare from Bailey whose attention was now fixated on Steve once he removed the jacket.

 _Hello!_

The only sign of shock from the Nazi was the diminutive widening of her eyes, "What did your _friend_ take?"

"Take?" bless the lad- he was so clueless and innocent and extremely twitchy. Grimacing, Bailey clarified, "Which erectile dysfunction drug?" Celia had to shove a fist into her mouth to quash the bubble of laughter that was threatening to erupt as a gobsmacked Meredith whipped around to face him, "You _took_?!"

Wow, Mer, you just blew your cover of him being your _friend_. Atta go!

Stuttering like a blushing virgin would, Steve's wounded black orbs stared beseechingly into a pair of affronted greens, "I-I… absolutely _not!_ I-I … I swear. It was _all natural_ between us!"

" _Shut up_!" Meredith hissed, sneaking a quick nervous smile to a fervently unimpressed Bailey. Oh well, the cat is definitely out of the bag now. Way to go Steve – so much for secrecy. Why don't you stand on top of the building while you're at it and announce to the entire population of Seattle Grace that Dr. Meredith Grey broke your penis before kicking you out of her house like worthless trash. Oh, and faked her orgasm on top of _that! …Sheesh!_

Ignoring the smirking Celia and the mortified Meredith, Bailey concentrated on Steve, "Your condition is called priapism usually brought on the overuse of EDs." Annoyed beyond believe, Steve stressed on his innocence, "I didn't take _anything_."

Celia hummed in thought, "Well, it's not hard to believe, I mean, Mer is a wildcat in bed. She could have easily broke the poor guys crown jewels. Unintentionally, of course." Simultaneously, Meredith glared at her best friend with intense rage and Bailey pointed a finger toward the door, "OUT!"

"Jeez. No wonder people lie more than tell the truth around here. And people wonder _why_ the percentage of liars have surmounted throughout the decades," Celia grumbled as she headed outside to wait for the new brand of torture Bailey was sure to sentence her to.

 ****GA****

An hour later, Bailey approached Celia looking like the cat who caught the canary and the Latina knew that nothing good was to come out of her mouth. "So, Chávez, Steve's labs came out clean, meaning he's in need of an enema, I decided that you would be the best candidate for the job. So go on, get to it."

Frowning in confusion, Celia cocked her head to the side, "Wait-, that's it… I mean, no offense, Dr. Bailey, but I was expecting a worse punishment from you."

"That's it," Bailey smiled sweetly and before she stalked off in the opposite direction, she called out, "Page me once you got the results."

 _Huh_. As Celia entered Steve's room, she couldn't help but think that Bailey's hormones were at play due to her pregnancy, making her all of a sudden, quite tame. Donning on a pair of gloves, she shrugged. After all, interns were supposed to be grunts and nobodies, meaning they were all deftly able to perform enemas with their eyes closed the entire time.

"Well Steve, looking good decked in your gown, let's get this over with, shall we?" she said in a monotone, ignoring his frightened expression as she prepared the gel for the enema. Onyx orbs stared intently at the ceiling as he groaned out, "I cannot believe this is happening."

Scoffing, Celia retorted, "Try being me."

 _He's not the one poking in some stranger's asshole!_

"I mean-"Steve continued as though Celia hadn't spoken a word, trying to distract himself from his discomfiture, "-You meet someone in a bar, you have a few drinks, a few laughs. You make out in the car-"

"Roll over to your side," she interjected, wondering if Bailey's form of torturing her was supposed to be her forced to listen in with a _sympathetic_ ear to the poor sap as he whined and bemoaned his sexual experience with her best friend. But then again, Bailey wasn't clairvoyant, how was she to know that Steve wouldn't be able to _shut the hell up_. Just when the Latina became complacent thinking he took the glaringly obvious hint, Steve opened his mouth once again and continued with his _irritating_ monologue, "You have a good time-"

Suppressing her desire to curse the dude, Celia gritted her teeth and tried – key word – _tried_ speaking politely, "Bring your knees up to your chest." Obediently listening to her instruction he continued as though he hadn't been cut off, "-So yeah, like I was saying, you have a good time, spend the night, wake up the next morning and-"he yelped loudly as Celia shoved her fingers up his a-hole, taking morbid pleasure in his moment of anguish since he was torturing her with his droning rambles.

 _Thank God!_ Finally Steve took the hint and clamped his mouth shut as he tried battling the pain.

Paging Dr. Bailey, Celia only had to wait for five minutes before she leisurely strolled in and lifted the sheets covering _Little Steve_ from view. Cristina and an enraged Meredith followed shortly afterwards, just in time for Bailey's verdict. "Enema didn't work?" Cristina inquired.

"Nope. And too bad, 'cause it was an _excellent_ enema," Celia shrugged, her eyes narrowing in on an oddly smug Nazi who decided to start-off with a little pop quiz, "So what's the next step?"

Meredith was only too quick to respond, "A needle aspiration." Prompting Steve's face to drain of its natural russet complexion into a curious shade of mushroom, "A needle?! A needle _in_ my _penis!_ "

Unapologetic, Celia matter-of-factly divulged the facts with an impassive expression, "We have to drain the blood." Just as she moved around his bedside to prepare for the needle aspiration, Steve wildly came out with a profuse litany of rejections, stubbornly denying them permission for the aforementioned medical procedure. Letting out a weary huff, Bailey drawled out, "Then you're looking at impotence, penile infarction or gangrene. So if you want it to fall off…"

Suffice to say, Steve had no choice but to grudgingly allow them to inject his crown jewels with a needle.

 ****GA****

"So, Mer, what's up with you?" Celia inquired once she was given a small reprieve from being in the close proximity of Steve's broken penis; the twisted sisters were currently sitting in the cafeteria with Ian and Vince, both of whom decided to show up at the Hospital for a brief visit.

Stabbing her salad with much vigor, a fuming Meredith gritted out, "George indirectly called me a dirty slut. Implying that I sleep with too many guys and Steve's broken penis was my karma! _Can you believe that_?!"

Ian rolled his eyes at her ignorance; really, it was starting to get sad. In the short amount of time that he's been in Seattle, he immediately caught on to George O'Malley's glaringly _obvious_ crush on the green-eyed beauty. In fact, everyone was unaware of his feelings except for Meredith herself. Heck, even Vince noticed and he barely spent time with the other interns.

"What are we talking about?" Alex asked, slamming his tray down the table and sitting on Meredith's other side. With a cheeky grin, Celia blurted out, "Mer is pissed at Puppy because he indirectly called her a slut."

A smirk etched itself onto his face and he shared a wink with the Latina before addressing Meredith, "I'm sure he didn't mean it. I mean, O'Malley was most probably pissed off with the many sexscapades you've been flaunting around. Keeping him up all night with your pleasurable moans," he added with a lewd smirk.

Blinking at Alex in confusion, Meredith obliviously asked, "Why would George be bothered by it?" Collective groans from Ian, Vince, Celia and Alex echoed around their table, irritating the blonde, "What? _Spit it out already_!"

In a comically unanimous action, they all stared at Celia, prompting her to roll her eyes in mock-annoyance and she burrowed herself deeper into Vince's arms, "Okay Mer, you cannot seriously be that daft?" at Death's _still_ perplexed expression, she huffed out, "Let me spell it out for you: Puppy. _Likes_. You. He's been pining over you ever since the mixer before we began our internship for crying out loud!"

As Meredith processed the shocking discovery, Cristina plumped down between Celia and Ian, "What if I just gave him back the key?" Vince, Ian and Alex gaped at the Korean's non-sequitur in palpable confusion, all three of them not being aware of her struggling with the fact that Burke keyed her before coffee, and since Meredith was somewhere far away in a stupefied trance, it was left to the Latina to point out the grueling facts.

"He'll be hurt," she stated in the most obvious tone. Scowling, Cristina modified her question, "Okay then, what if I don't use it?"

"If you had no intention of using it then you shouldn't have taken it in the first place," Celia brutally pointed out, prompting a loud scoff from Cristina. "Oh come on. Fishing a key out of a coffee cup isn't like some binding legal contract," she snapped. Vince decided to intervene with some helpful advice – after all, Cristina Yang was one of his girlfriend's closest friends, and he could do with the extra brownie points; "Your boyfriend gave you a key to his place. That in itself is a major step and he's subtly implying that he's ready for more out of you, for… your relationship to evolve into something serious. You taking it meant you're accepting it," Cristina paled and gripped Celia's hand in a bone-crushing grip, "Now, if you're not ready for it and if you don't have the same vision as him regarding your future together, then my advice to you is to give it back to him, lest he gets the wrong impression."

There was complete silence around their table as they watched Cristina's mental struggle with Vince's speech. All of a sudden, Meredith returned back to the land of the living and shrieked out, "George likes me, likes me!?"

Cocking her head to the side and staring at the blonde as though she were an alien from outer space, Cristina aired out, "Who finally clued her in?"

 ****GA****

"Oh my lord. _Ooh,_ Child," was the eloquent sentence that came out of Bailey's mouth after checking Steve's response to the needle aspiration. Meredith and Cristina grimaced from behind the Nazi while Celia leaned lazily against the wall, not the least bit interested in examining his penis. She had seen plenty of _Little Steve_ for one day thank you very much.

And then, Bailey's punishment came to an abrupt light as her coffee colored orbs bored into a pair of disinterested chocolates, "Well we've tried everything. Must be _neural_." Celia felt as though she were plummeting down a plane and she shoved herself away from the wall, gaping at the Nazi in palpable shock, " _Neural?!_ " a look of recognition dawned on the Latina's face, "As in a consult. You called neuro for a consul-, _ooohh_ , you're evil, Dr. Bailey!"

"I try," she smirked in response just in time for the door to open and the gorgeous Adonis to appear in her line of vision, hating herself for the fact that the mere sight of him still caused her heart to drop and clench painfully.

"Hello everybody," Derek smiled jovially, blue-blue eyes burning a hole into the alluring chocolates that managed to steal his heart, regardless of their cold impassivity, "What's up?" Despite it being Celia's punishment for mouthing off her crass opinions out loud in an unprofessional way, Meredith looked sick and squirmed uncomfortably in her place between Cristina and Celia. Without waiting for a response, Derek lifted up the sheet that was hiding _Little Steve_ and scrutinized the never ending erection displayed for everyone to see. "Hmm. So when did this problem begin?" he asked, lowering the sheet to cover his modesty.

Celia couldn't help but respect Dr. Derek Shepherd at that particular moment, while still feeling a jab of irritation. So he could remain professional when faced with a comical broken penis modified into an impressive erection, but he never bothered to maintain professionalism with her _at least_ while in their workplace?! _Fuck it all to hell._ Celia would do anything to turn back the clock and find herself cocooned in Vince's arms in his apartment or pulsating underneath him in the shower. _Anything_! Anything but this horrible day from hell at Seattle Grace Hospital!

"Well I had an erection last night and woke up with one this morning," Steve repeated for the umpteenth time that day, prompting Meredith to cringe; she may not have banged McDreamy, but he was still her boss, and she didn't want him to see her as a slut either. Cristina and Celia however, were suppressing their laughter, which proved to be a difficulty.

"Uh, Dr. Shepherd if you don't need me, the other Dr. Shepherd needs a consult on one of the quints," and with that Bailey departed, though not before parting Celia with one last glare. Derek smiled benignly at Steve, trying not to get distracted by the Latina's intoxicating presence by his side, "So when did you last ejaculate?"

And then, Derek received a nasty shock when the patient looked questionably to the right. Steeling himself and hoping beyond hope that it wasn't _his_ Celia that spent the night with this man. His anger quickly turned to relief when he inquired after _Meredith_ and he whipped around to see the intern in question looking beyond mortified, stirring the emotion of pity and the Attending subtly sent her a reassuring smile.

It wasn't until after they examined Steve's CT and discovered that he had a tumor, that Derek noticed something… something that he found astounding since he didn't notice it before… Celia Chávez was glowing. She looked well ravished, and he knew, oh Derek knew that the Latina spent an intimate night with that boyfriend of hers. A bubble of jealousy and fury stirred in his belly.

"Your CT shows a tumor on your lower spine which is pressing against your cavernous nerve which is causing the erection," Derek sympathetically informed him, ignoring Celia's presence for now lest he imploded. Steve nervously grabbed Meredith's hand, creating a tension in the room as she stared wide-eyed at an amused Celia, subtly insisting she help her out.

 _Oh, the things I do for you, Death_. Approaching Steve, she smiled down at him, "Don't worry, you'll be as right as rain in no time. There's nothing to worry about, Dr. Shepherd is one of the best Neurosurgeons in the state, alright?" Derek felt his heart beat uncontrollably at her admission, and his feelings for the Latina, if possible, _surged_. Clearing his throat, Derek spoke up, "Yes. I'll remove your tumor and everything should return to normal. Dr. Grey, I want you to call a urologist to come up and have a word with Steve?"

Immensely grateful to Dr. Shepherd, Meredith yanked her hand from Steve's iron-grip and fled the room, leaving Celia alone with Derek who immediately addressed her, "Dr. Chávez, a word outside." Trudging behind him, she barely had time to close the door before he pounced with a charming smile on his gorgeous mien, "So, you look good. More than good actually. I'm glad to see you're happy. Monogamy suits you."

"Dr. Shepher-"

"No. hear me out," Derek swiftly interrupted what he assumed to be, and quite correctly so, another heated tirade about them maintaining professionalism and that what she does in her private life is none of his business. Once she snapped her mouth shut, he emotively continued, "I've been struggling. Images of you and your… _boyfriend_ haunting my every move, but I woke up to the reality that things would never work between us. I lied to you. I will never again be able to regain your trust, and you're right. Ever since your confession on Thanksgiving, I realized that _you're right_. I've been in denial, fighting a lost cause. I'm a married man, Celia, and instead of chasing after you, I should focus on stabilizing my marriage. So, you win, Celia, I give up."

Hesitantly, almost nervously, Celia whispered, "What are you saying?"

Sorrowful blue-blue eyes drunk in her face for one last time before he concentrated on the wall behind her, "I'm saying that you got your wish, Dr. Chávez. From now on, you mean nothing to me. I'm your boss, and you're my intern, and that's, that's how it should remain from now on."

Two hearts shattered at Derek's declaration. Pretending that she was ecstatic over Derek _finally_ giving her what she had been desperate for ever since her first day as an intern, she vigorously nodded her head, "Thank you, Dr. Shepherd. If that's all, I'm going to prep Steve for surgery."

And although it pained him, excruciatingly so, to say it, Derek stopped her before she disappeared into the patient's room, "Actually, you're off the case, Chávez. I'll page Yang. She'll be scrubbing in on the surgery with me. I'll see you around, Dr. Chávez." And he turned his back on her. It took every ounce of strength that he could muster to not pivot around, grab her into his embrace and apologize, taking every word he said back… but he didn't.

His affair with the Latina had been going around in circles, making him a laughing stock and her a public traffic jam. It was time to instigate professional decorum between them. After all, Dr. Grey told him that if he loved her, he would set her free… and he was doing just that. Unbeknownst to him, the Latina found an empty on-call room and burrowed herself under the sheets, willing her heart to repair itself from the surprising heartbreak Derek unintentionally caused.

Yes, Celia got what she had been aching for since her internship began, and yes, no matter what, she would never forgive Derek for lying to her about his marital status, and yes, she couldn't bring herself to trust him again. But then… why did success have such a bitter taste? Why was her heart aching in inestimable agony? And why, _why_ was Celia left with the feeling as though Derek's words were the worst punishment she had ever received in Seattle Grace, when it was supposed to be a blessing?

 ****GA****

The woman pregnant with quintuplets had the entire hospital in a frantic tizzy as they all converged in the OR to deliver each baby; Izzie and George were watching over the newborns, all of whom where in dire danger and probable need of surgery later on. Celia's shift in babysitting the quintuplets was in five hours, and she wasted no time in ripping off her scrubs and leaving the hospital. The mere sight of Derek and Addison working amicably together and sharing smiles, coupled with the Adonis Attending ignoring her very existence doused the Latina in a morose mood and she needed reprieve from the drama in Seattle Grace… at least for the measly five hours before her shift.

Celia trudged down the hallway towards the front door of Seattle Grace, ignoring the plethora of calls of her fellow interns and the magnetic pull she felt upon sensing Derek standing nearby with Addison. Concerned, Meredith and Alex rushed over to the Latina's side and examined her emotionless mien.

"CeCe, what happened?" Meredith demanded in a soft voice. Unconsciously, chocolate orbs connected with vacant blue-blue eyes and the smug emerald greens of Satan herself, and she found herself uttering in a tormented whisper, "I want Ian. Mer, Alex, bring me, bring me Ian."

How do you know how much is too much?

Too much, too soon.

Too much information. Too much fun.

Ian appeared not even a minute later with Vince who immediately gathered her in his arms, and for once, Celia couldn't sense the regular sensation of blue-blue eyes burning a hole into the back of her head.

Too much to ask.

Problem is, Celia wanted nothing more than to wrestle herself out of his embrace and be replaced by Derek's warm embrace. By Derek's familiar embrace. Vincent Grant wasn't Derek Shepherd; and he never would be. Vincent Grant could never replace Derek Shepherd and win over her heart. Who knew all it took was Derek giving up on her for the startling epiphany to be introduced. And then Vince placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, and she shoved all the emotions concerning Derek away in the already crowded section she had been hoarding feelings, sentiments, suppressed tears, and many incidents and events for the past thirteen years.

And when is it all just too much to bear?

Celia departed the hospital with Ian and Vince on both sides, leaving behind her worried friends, an inquisitive Addison and a nonchalant Derek who had succeeded in burying his love for the Latina once and for all.

 **A/N:** **How did you like this chapter?! XD**

 **Okay so for all you DELIA fans, I am sorry for the lack of scenes between them and for their heartbreaking end. Once again, let me remind you: the path to Delia is a slow burn, so you have to be patient, especially since I am changing things from canon. For now, Derek won't be confessing his love and fighting for Celia… but don't worry, it obviously won't last. And Celia is struggling with Derek giving her what she wanted. Poor Celia and poor Derek.**

 **The future of Delia is a beautiful one, after a lot of rocky paths of course. So be patient ;) I promise you, it's worth it.**

 **R &R. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Ian Chamberlain – Chris Evans.**

 **Vince Grant – Chris Pine.**

 **Chapter 20:**

Forty years ago, The Beatles asked the world a simple question. They wanted to know where all the lonely people came from. The answer to that profound question changes on a regular basis, but currently, Celia's latest theory is that a great many of the lonely people come from hospitals.

To be more precise, the _surgical_ wings of hospitals.

Cold chocolate orbs looked down at the tiny baby she had been ordered to watch over, unaffected by the palpable cuteness. Stuck in the NICU Ward with five interns and five newborns _wasn't_ Celia's cup of tea. Call her crazy, but the Latina would rather be running around the hospital doing menial scut work, than keeping a close eye on the quints' vitals.

Nine hours ago, the famous quintuplets the entire hospital staff had been waiting for with abated breaths and assigned to, were born. Four hours ago, Celia returned from her measly break. Four hours of eliciting a one-sided staring contest. Four hours of listening to Izzie coo and gush over the definition of cuteness. Four hours of Celia praying for the ground to open up and swallow her in just so that there could be a great distance from the _joys_ of motherhood and sick babies that were unfortunate enough to be born with abnormalities.

"I have the best quint," George gushed for the tenth time since Celia joined the other five interns, "Lucy, she just smiled at me." Thank the Lords Izzie silently offered to point out the glaring obvious to Puppy, "She's nine hours old, George."

But Puppy wasn't deterred, "I'm saying there are five babies here and _clearly_ mine is the advanced one."

"Charlotte's smart. She's got wrinkles on her forehead, _very serious_ ," Meredith beamed, joining the fray of gushing interns and ignoring Celia's glare that screamed ' _traitor_ '. Izzie giggled as her index finger got pulled on by her quint, "Okay, A, this is _not_ a competition, and B, _my_ quint kicks your quints' asses. Emily is strong, she won't let go of my finger."

And to top things off, _Cristina Yang_ out of all people, added her own input with a smirk, "Ah, hey! Julie has her organs on the outside of her body and she's _still_ alive, thank you!"

"Kate's the best one," Alex simply retorted, prompting Izzie to freeze up and search for a change in topic.

Oh right, apparently Alex cheated on her with Syph Nurse, Olivia. Naturally, Dr. Model is seriously pissed off and expects everyone to take her side… unfortunately, she expected Celia to ignore Alex, which clearly lists her off as insane. Yeah, Celia was disappointed in Alex for cheating, but he's her friend, and even though she was clearly sympathetic to Izzie and on her side, she would never abandon Alex, same for Mer, and Cristina.

Defiantly ignoring Alex's presence, Izzie pivoted around and focused on Celia, the only intern that had yet to comment on the quintuplets, "What about you, Celia? Which quint is your favorite?" Meredith grimaced and fully concentrated on Charlotte as Celia coldly scrutinized each quint before bluntly stating in a voice devoid of any emotion whatsoever, "None." Prompting even Cristina and Alex, her fellow twisted persons, to gape at her in unadulterated shock.

Spluttering, Izzie stared at the Latina as though she were an alien, "What do you mean ' _none'_?"

"Exactly that… _None. Of. Them_. I don't know if you haven't noticed, Izzie, but I'm not exactly a fan of babies. They're loud and messy, they constantly demand attention and are so damn annoying," Celia announced in a monotone, freaking even Meredith out with her detached tone. "But, if it'll make you feel better, I'm interested in Jules. Hands down, she'll have a cool surgery."

"It's _Julie!_ Ju-LEE!" Izzie snappishly corrected; simultaneously, George puffed up in indignation, "What do you mean you don't like babies? How can you _not_ like babies? They are babies, they are adorable. They are the future of human race, it's-it's, it's unheard of," he stammered towards the end. Meredith sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, praying for the disturbing topic to end; yeah she mostly agreed with her Latina sister, and she never wanted to be a mother, definitely not in her cards, especially with her mother being the emotionless, Ellis Grey. But her aversion toward babies was not even close to that of Celia's.

Sighing in palpable annoyance, an irritated Latina rotated her glare from Izzie to George, both of whom were adamantly gaping at her in astonishment and disbelief, "Do I _look_ like the type of person interested in becoming a Paediatric Surgeon? _No_. I'd prefer to deal with those that don't cry, burp and poop 24/7." And with that, she turned her back on everyone and refocused her sole attention on Jules or Julia or whatever the hell her name is.

Only Meredith had an inkling regarding the irony of her statement. Being that, Antonio Chávez specialized in paeds, and had his own private practice for those tiny nuisances. But it had already been established long ago, after she was cruelly robbed of her idol…. Celia Chávez was no longer like her jovial father… not since his life was taken quite viciously right before her very eyes at the age of nine.

The NICU Ward was filled with tension and a stifling silence until Alex left, prompting Blondie to open her big, fat mouth and start bashing on him and of how he cheated on her. Luck was on her side however, as Bailey miraculously showed up just as the incensed Latina had been preparing herself for a major tongue-lashing in defense of her fellow twisted intern and friend. "Who's on call tonight?" was the abrupt inquiry from the Nazi.

"I am," Izzie piped up, adoring eyes flickering toward each quint. Bailey nodded brusquely, "All right, the rest of you go home. Sleep. All five quints are still alive. It's a good day." Before she could turn around and depart, Celia hurriedly spoke up, "Uh, Dr. Bailey, I just got here a while back from my break, I can stick around and do some scut or whatever you have." Unfortunately for Celia, Bailey waved her away and dismissed her, insisting she head on home.

Glumly, Celia clambered into the car with Meredith and George. On any given day, Celia would be ecstatic over the reprieve for her long shifts and the torment of being an intern, but now? Now she needed to overwhelm herself and drown in surgeries, the problems of other patients and basically, anything to distract her from Derek Shepherd's cold words that had been stuck on replay, infiltrating her mind and soul and leaving her with a damaged heart, more damaged than it had been before.

 ****GA****

As surgeons, we ignore our own needs so we can meet our patients' needs. We ignore our friends and families so we can save other people's friends and families. Which means that at the end of the day, all we really have is ourselves, and nothing in this world can make you feel more alone that that.

"Come on, CeCe. Open the damn door!" Ian's concern had long-ago morphed into frustration after an hour of cajoling her to let him in, to no avail. Celia woke up two hours before rounds due to night terrors, but they weren't the regular terrifying ones of… _him_! No, this time, Celia was being haunted by the hardest decision she ever had to make over a decade ago.

She didn't know how much time passed when the defeated nuance of her eldest brother seeped into her room, "Look, CeCe, I'm not going to push you to talk to me, just-just know that I'll be here whenever you're ready. I'm spending the day with Vince, so I'll see you when you return from your shift."

The front door slammed shut and Celia remained in her frozen stance, haunted, unblinking chocolate orbs stubbornly staring at the ceiling and she only budged when a concerned Meredith picked the lock of her door and barged in with a mug of steaming coffee in her hand. "Hey, CeCe, come on, we're going to be late for rounds." Celia sent Death a diminutive smile; trust her twisted sister to not push and address the elephant in the room. Death knew that whenever the Latina decided to spill her guts she would, but on her _own_ time, and no amount of pushing or wheedling would prompt her to give in… one must master patience to understand the intricacy of Celia Chávez's mind.

Celia and George were sipping on some takeaway coffee as they marched down the hallway to meet the Nazi for rounds. Celia was harshly awoken from La-La-Land upon hearing George blustering alongside Meredith in a stammering speech, "So I was thinking uh, we could, ah, I mean, you could, ah, maybe, ah, go to Joe's later, to you know, ah, um, uh, talk by uh, ourselves-"

It was unfortunate that the Latina had taken a sip of coffee at that exact moment, for the second George's pitiful speech reached to the crux of what he had been implying, she choked on the lukewarm liquid and had to wipe the dripping liquid from her chin unable to believe Puppy actually manned up and acted on his obsessive crush over her best friend. Meredith's light green eyes widened, struck speechless by George's offer; obviously, she hadn't forgotten the revealing of George having a major crush over her since the mixer, but with him indirectly calling her a whore concerning her breaking some random guy's penis and the birth of the quints, she didn't have free time to process the shocking revelation.

At that moment, Celia was distracted by Derek and Addison appearing in her line of vision, both of them arguing in loud tones over some marital spat. Blue-blue eyes connected with hers for a nanosecond before he dismissed her, returning his sole attention to his wife. Hearing George stammer once again about taking Meredith for a date, she met the light green orbs of her best friend, pleading for her to come to her rescue, and Celia Chávez didn't fail.

"Oh! There you are, Cristina!" Celia cried out, subtly winking at Meredith who suppressed her loud sigh of relief. The distraction worked; George's doe eyes focused on Cristina once she approached them nagging for food. "You really should eat breakfast," he scowled in disapproval. Cristina scoffed and aggressively rolled her eyes, "God, you sound like Burke. You know, sometimes I think we would be better off with dogs."

Meredith took the golden opportunity, hoping George would comprehend her subtle hint, "Preaching to the choir! I'm over men." Celia snorted into her takeaway cup, "Because you broke the last guy's penis?" Cristina chuckled while Meredith glared at the Latina half-heartedly, "I would agree with you, but I'm with Vince."

"Could you sound any more elated?" came Cristina's sarcastic remark; George noticed Izzie standing nearby with Bailey and scampered off, just as Alex joined the fray, hazel orbs flickering toward the three girls in confusion. Meredith cocked her head to the side, realizing that Cristina made a decent point, "You were happy with Vince… now, not so much. What's going on, CeCe?"

And once again, Nazi to the rescue!

Avoiding the inquisitive stare of her green-eyed sister, Celia ignored Izzie's enraged orbs that were currently staring daggers at a nonchalant Alex, and shadowed Bailey as they started rounds. Meredith huffed to herself as she, Cristina and Alex followed the Latina, hoping she would open up soon before she inevitably ended up exploding.

Entering the patient's room, they found a man laying comfortably on the bed with blood pooling from his nose and index finger and his face looking _enormously_ swollen. Youch, Celia grimaced, that didn't look pretty or painless. Poor dude. George piped up, introducing the oddly cheerful man, and Celia was astonished that he managed to smile in his excruciating condition, "Ah, Karl Murphy. 52. Multiple skin melanomas. Underwent reconstructive surgery to his nose, right ear, as well as skin graft to the left index finger."

"How's the capillary refill?" Bailey inquired. George frowned slightly as he guesstimated, "Slow. About four seconds." Bailey nodded, focusing intently on Puppy, signaling that he was, no doubt, going to be assigned to Karl Murphy's case, "What do you recommend to get that blood moving, Dr. O'Malley?"

"At this stage our best options are probably a bio-therapeutic agent," was George's prompt reply; Celia wrinkled her nose and decided to put the poor perplexed dude out of his misery, "Leeches, Mr. Murphy. We put leeches on your face." That man wouldn't cease to surprise the Latina; instead of adopting a repulsed expression, he lit up like a Christmas tree. Maintaining stoicism, Bailey elaborated, "They secrete blood thinners to help break up pooled blood so it can help be evacuated. Sorta like a, a big drain. Look if this makes you uncomfortable-"

Karl interrupted, beaming brightly and freaking out the six interns and the lone Resident, "No, no, no. I've been a hiker for forty years," he frowned calculatedly, "Almost forty years now and Mother Nature hasn't come up with anything yet I haven't found a reason to love."

Suffice to say, each of them departed with varying expressions of disgust. Meredith shook her head, "And here I thought I'd have seen it all… CeCe, are you okay?" she whispered, keeping her voice down so that only the four twisted friends would hear. Celia's palms were all sweaty and her face was frozen in horror upon meeting a pair of indifferent blue-blue eyes; swallowing the hard lump from her throat, she grimaced, "Peachy, Mer. Let's just get this over with."

Derek sighed lowly and pretended that Celia didn't exist and was merely a fly on the wall as he concentrated on Bailey and his patient. Unfortunately, Celia was ordered to introduce the patient and he was forced to instigate eye-contact and keep all his emotions in; looking at her, hearing her mellifluous voice, it never ceased to brighten up his day. "Robert Martin. 45. Collapsed and hit his head which caused a small subdural hemorrhage-"

"That _was_ the problem," Derek interrupted, looking pointedly at a guilt-ridden Alex Karev. Pushing back all emotions behind her cold, impassive mask, Celia sharply carried on where she had left off, wanting to both: defend her friend from the enraged Attending's ire, and escape the vicinity as soon as possible and remain far, far, _far_ away from Derek McDreamy Shepherd, "Yes, well. Mr. Martin was found to have a Rathke's Cleft Cyst on his pituitary and surgery was postponed when," the Latina remained professional and decided the best way to aid her friend was to quickly rip off the bandage, "When Dr. Karev unintentionally ordered a nurse-"

"Olivia," Izzie butted in with a sneer before recoiling in fear behind the Nazi upon meeting the glacier glare of Celia who didn't bother to disconnect her ruthless orbs from Dr. Model's terrified ones, "When Dr. Karev unintentionally ordered a _Nurse!_ to administer an incorrect dosage of hypertonic saline."

Alex and Derek argued in the background about the patient and Celia hadn't yet detached eye-contact from the frozen blonde until the Nazi barked for them to depart the room, leaving Alex in charge of the patient. As they approached the quints' room, Celia hissed, "Never interrupt me for something so childish and inconsequential such as your failed relationship! Got it, Stevens? You have a problem with Alex, take it outside. Stop acting like a pathetic victim and grow the fuck up!"

"Chávez! That's enough," Bailey boomed, and despite the fact that her face looked stern, her coffee orbs had a glint of approval, "Now get in there!"

 _Great, just fan-freaking-tastic!_ First Derek, then Addison, and now five annoying babies, all in the span of ten minutes! Could her day get any worse?

Celia's rhetoric question was promptly answered upon arriving at the pit with Dr. Bailey and Cristina…

 _A murderer!_

 ****GA****

Wheeling the latest patient into the hospital, Celia's attention was captured by the gaunt woman with a sallow complexion, stringy auburn hair and sunken brown eyes, or more accurately, the shiny handcuffs adorning each of her bony wrists. Jill, the paramedic yammered on about the patient in the background, but it sounded distant to the Latina, "Constance Ferguson. 40. Inmate at Henderson. Swallowed a razor blade."

"Attempted suicide?" Cristina briskly inquired. But it was Bailey's statement that finally snapped her out of her trance-like state, "Attempted field trip. Worked too," she grudgingly admitted. Cristina's frown of perplexity was identical to Celia's, "What do you mean _field trip_?"

"It says on her chart, she was in solitary. This is her way out," Bailey grimaced.

Cristina gasped, "Oh, is she crazy?"

Celia scoffed, "I'd go with desperate."

But it was Jill's announcement that saturated the air with tension, "If you call murder crazy or desperate..."

"Yeah, baby that's what I'm talking about," Constance squealed, cackling like a maniac. Okay, so maybe Cristina had a point… she was _definitely,_ hands down, and without a doubt: C-R-A-Z-Y!

Celia tried with all her might, to successfully hide her disdain as she stood next to the patient with Bailey and Cristina, not in the least bit seeking comfort over the fact that the two policewomen were sitting outside the room. Oh how the Latina hated the stupid Hippocratic Oath; they were forced to provide care and comfort to a _bleedin'_ murderer, a woman that didn't deserve any medical help, but… who was Celia to judge. In order for her to become an excellent world-renowned surgeon with preferably two Harper Avery Awards, she had to strictly follow the Oath and so, here she was, listening to Bailey inquire after the murderer's – she _refused_ to acknowledge her by her name – needs.

"Ms. Ferguson, are you experiencing any discomfort?" Bailey forced out in a not-so-much pleasant voice, but trying to remain professional. _Hah!_ At least Celia wasn't the only one in the room that was severely disturbed with tending to a murderer. Yanking the handcuffs as far as she possibly could, she cackled out in a deranged voice, "You mean apart from these snazzy handcuffs you got pinching my wrists?"

Celia spared her a lethal glare before focusing on Bailey; the murderer didn't deserve comfort. Bailey gave the Latina a warning look before addressing the patient while staring at both Celia and Cristina, "Did you at least put tape on the blade?"

"I'm not an idiot," the murderer groused out. Bailey pivoted around and gave her a look of distaste, while pointing out the obvious, "You _swallowed_ a _razor blade_." The murderer merely raised her thin eyebrows in response. Having had enough, Celia snapped out, uncaring about her lack of decorum, "Look, why don't you just put that smart mouth of yours to good use and tell us what hurts so we can all move on!"

Shockingly, Bailey didn't bother berating her, prompting a gobsmacked look out of Cristina.

The murderer grinned widely at her, displaying a full set of yellowing teeth, "What and shorten my vacation? Besides Bombshell, I think I'm gonna enjoy annoying the hell outta you," she smirked before addressing an astonished Cristina, "Hey since you're just _standing_ around, why don't ya take Bombshell over here, and both of you make yourselves useful, get me some chocolate pudding? Make the blade go down smoother." Both interns bristled and aimed identical lethal glares at the murderer's audacity.

Bailey quickly went for damage control before her two frigid interns instantaneously blew their gaskets, "Yang, Chávez, get an x-ray. Make it portable. She's a prisoner so we have to minimize flight risk."

Stammering in shock, Cristina shook her head profusely, "Wh-what, okay, okay but I'm supposed to check on Julie. I thought you said we were supposed to keep a close eye on the quints?"

"Yeah! And I'd rather be under any of the Shepherds services then play doctor with a murderer," Celia bluntly stated in a cold voice. Bailey scowled harshly and massaged her temples before fixating two of her most stubborn, impassive, and competitive interns with her famous Nazi glare, "Julie is _my_ quint too. I got that covered, you two do this!" when Celia opened her mouth to further argue her case, Bailey instantly shot her down, "Do I need to remind you of a certain Oath you made?"

Once Bailey stalked out of the room, Celia huffed angrily, "Can this day get _any_ worse?!"

Right on cue, the murderer opened her large, insufferable yap, "Come on baby. I'm not gonna hurt you. I _only_ murdered three people and none of them were doctors."

 _Has she no shame?!_

Cristina gaped at the murderer, her face a mixture of anger and disbelief, "You were saying, Celia?"

"Someone give her a muzzle," Celia sneered, chocolate orbs hardening in hatred as she suppressed the need to throttle the unremorseful bitch with her own two hands that were supposed to save lives.

 ****GA****

Standing by the elevator, on her way to meet Cristina in the X-Ray room, thankful for the few minutes of reprieve from the murderer's suffocating presence, Celia froze when her eyes met Derek's; of course, here she is, desperate for an escape and she ends up riding an elevator alone with the one person she was trying to avoid – Derek. Masking her discomfiture, she silently entered the elevator and pressed the button to her designated floor as the doors ominously slid shut.

"Dr. Chávez," Derek formally acknowledged her. A pang hit Celia's heart, missing the days when the stubborn neurosurgeon would incessantly call her by her christened name, despite her litany of rebuffs. Here she was, arguing with herself over something she had been desperately asking for since the first day of her internship; smiling weakly, she neutrally responded, "Dr. Shepherd."

Just then, the doors slid open again and Chief Webber ambled inside with a warm smile on his visage. "Hello, Derek. Ah, Celia, I heard about your, uh, patient, if you want I can have Bailey switch-"

"I'm fine, Chief Webber," Celia brusquely interjected, abruptly dismissing her godfather's concern; she was unable to see the palpable concern and worry that crossed Derek's face as she was adamantly evading eye-contact with her two superiors. Richard frowned at his stubborn goddaughter, "I'm not asking as the Chief of this hospital, CeCe. I'm showing my concern as your godfather. If you need to take the day off or switch to any other surgeon's service-"

Sighing in irritation, Celia decided to acknowledge Richard's concerns, "Alright, Uncle Rich, as your goddaughter, _I'm fine_. You can't give me special treatment; I want to succeed on my own merits, so you favoring me won't do it. And as your intern, I learned in medical school that once you enter the hospital, you become professional and keep your private life outside." A ding resonated in the elevator and Celia gladly got off. "Chief Webber, Dr. Shepherd," she dipped her head professionally before running off to meet Cristina and that blasted murderer.

Richard sighed loudly in defeat and pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to hide his anxiety regarding his goddaughter providing treatment to a murderer, and hoping she wouldn't revert back into her abrasive self. Derek noticed a battle waging in the Chief's head, battling between being Celia's godfather, and her boss. "If I may ask, Richard, is everything okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, Derek, sorry I was away in my own world for a moment," Richard chuckled humorlessly, "You didn't hear about our latest patient from the pit?" Derek shook his head in confusion and interest. "We got an inmate from Henderson."

Derek sucked in a sharp intake of breath; naturally as surgeons they had a responsibility to take diligent care of all patients, even murderers, whether they liked it or not. He curbed his curiosity regarding why a murderer would affect the Latina so much. It was none of his business after all, Celia Chávez had _nothing_ to do with him anymore. He meant what he said the other day; Dr. Chávez is his intern, and he is her married Attending… Derek Shepherd wiped his hands clean of the entrancing Latina and he wasn't about to back out of his words. Addison was the only woman that mattered to him. Only Addison. Nobody else.

 ****GA****

"So," Cristina hesitantly glanced at Celia from the corner of her eyes as they stalked down the hallway in search for Bailey, "I'm not going to push, see I could say I don't care, but then that would be lying. However, I've no interest in coming off as a closet shrink, but-… if you ever want to talk, or share why Ferguson bothers you so much, I can listen without judging or retorting with some inspirational speech."

Since waking up and beginning this crappy day of hell, a genuine smile materialized on the frigid Latina's face and she softly nudged her impassive person, "Thanks, I'll, I'll keep it in mind." They paused in their determined footsteps as they reached Julie's room where Bailey was portraying the persona of a crazy-mama-to-be, rendering the two interns speechless.

"How you doing you? You know I'm having a baby too-"okay, the Nazi's baby voice was seriously starting to creep her out- well, okay, _them_ out if she correctly interpreted Cristina's wide-eyed expression, "-Yes I am. _A little boy_. Maybe you can meet him someday. How does that sound? Does that sound good?" Unable to stand the sudden, creepy change in the Nazi, Cristina loudly hem-hemmed, diverting Bailey's attention from the quint to her two gobsmacked interns. Bailey immediately straightened up, cleared her throat and spoke normally again, much to their relief, "Pregnancy has not made me soft. I haven't got soft. I don't do that!" she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than them.

Obediently, Cristina sharply nodded, "Of course not. You were just talking to a patient." She then elbowed Celia to help her out; the Latina grimaced, "Yeah, albeit one that doesn't talk back, but still a patient all the same." Cristina gaped at her, and before Celia could put her foot in her mouth, she yanked the murderer's X-Ray films from the Korean and handed them over to the suddenly-creepy-Nazi.

"What's this?" she questioned.

"The inmate's x-rays," Cristina divulged. Bailey held it up, eyes squinting at the results when all of a sudden, her face morphed into one of pure shock, "Uh! That foolish, _foolish_ , woman! She swallowed _four_ razor blades!"

Celia shrugged as they made their way to the murderer's room, "It's not our job to fathom with the mind of a murderer. Honestly, she'd be doing the world a huge favor by ridding us all of a sociopathic murderer with irredeemable qualities and who shows zero remorse," she bitterly concluded. Pausing outside of the inmate's room, Bailey leveled her with a solemn look, "While I'm not going to argue with you, keep your thoughts to yourself, _at least_ in front of the patient."

Rolling her eyes, Celia merely nodded and followed the Nazi and Cristina into the room, trying to drown out the murderer's grating voice as she whined for mint chocolate-chip ice-cream and _not_ rocky road. Noticing Bailey, her face lit up in relief, "Oh thank _god_ , mama bear help me out here ok? I'm _starving_!"

"Don't give her anything," Bailey sharply barked out to the retreating nurse, who nodded immediately in acceptance and departed the room. Groaning audibly, the murderer cried out, "See right there! There you're in official violation of the 8th amendment!"

Celia scoffed, "Right, and _you_ out of all people are lecturing us about following the laws." The murderer's deranged grin of amusement waned upon hearing Cristina's announcement, "Uh, you can't eat anything because you're about to undergo major surgery." prompting her eyes to flicker from Celia to Bailey, " _What?_ Mama Bear, Bombshell, what's she talking about?"

As though talking to a dim child, Bailey replied, "You're at risk for a perforated intestine and half a dozen kinds of infection. We need to operate _right_ away." The murderer rebutted with a crude scoff, eyes rolling in their sockets with alarming violence, "I don't _need_ an operation. I taped up the blade like I _always_ do, _hello_! It passes the next day. What's the big deal?"

"Uh, basic addition here! You swallowed _four_ blades this time," Celia spat out in animosity, " _That's_ the big deal."

Shrugging as though she had no care in the world, the inmate stated, "I thought it'd buy me an extra day." She suddenly perked up, hollowed eyes sparkling with a hint of life as a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Does this operation have a nice _loooong_ recovery time?" Bailey did not look the least bit impressed and shook her head in negative; Cristina lifted an eyebrow it disbelief, "You realize this is major surgery? It's dangerous and you could die."

Celia didn't know why Cristina cared so much about the murderer's mortality rate, _heck_ , their unhinged inmate didn't seem to care as she changed the subject and started whining again, "Mint chocolate chip. I want at least a gallon once you ghouls are done splitting me open."

"No comment," Celia murmured as she, Cristina and Bailey left the room. "That woman is certifiably insane!" she snapped once out of earshot.

 ****GA****

Chocolate orbs were narrowed in distaste at the innards of the inmate as she stood to Bailey's right and opposite to Cristina; both interns were tasked in aiding Bailey operate much to Celia's part joy; while she was interested in the surgical perspective of the current situation, she felt disgust consume her as she was forced to aid a murderer survive another day. But such is the life of a surgeon; surgeons aren't God… they may have a God-like complex, but in reality, their job was to cut and heal.

To quote her step-father, Noah Chamberlain, 'when my patient ends up being a despicable excuse of a human being, I always repeat a mantra in my head, and when you begin your internship at Seattle Grace, always remember my words, Celia… _we are surgeons, not executioners_ , our job is to fix our patients up to the best of our abilities, and not to judge or condemn them.' Those words helped Celia to step into the OR with Dr. Bailey; those words had been the Latina's mantra all day.

"Unbelievable," Cristina gushed, gaping in disbelief at the razor currently in Bailey's hand, "Who would do this to themselves?"

"The woman wasn't just in prison, Yang," Bailey sighed, putting the blade in a dish the scrub nurse held out, "She was in solitary."

Cristina looked unperturbed, though she was curious regarding Celia's oddly silent behavior, "Well, she's seriously deranged."

Disconnecting her coffee-colored orbs from the murderer's innards, Bailey solemnly stared at the Korean intern, "You try spending a month, locked in a room with no windows, no one to talk to, 23 hours a day, _aha_ ," she pulled out another blade and hastened to discard it before concluding her diatribe, "See how deranged she is then."

At that moment, Celia's entire body stilled as a recurring flashback infiltrated her mind; a flashback that she thought she got rid of reliving _years_ ago, and unnoticed by everyone in the OR, her hands started shaking. Unbeknownst to Celia Chávez, Richard – who had been frantically worrying about his goddaughter all day and decided it was best he observe her from afar – noticed.

"Dr. Bailey, _she's_ _a_ _murderer_ ," Cristina pointed out in an obvious tone. Bailey nodded, her attention completely fixated on pulling out the third razor blade, "I didn't say she wasn't. Okay, let's see. One, two, three," she counted them, "and lastly, four. We're done here, let's close up."

They were washing their hands in an amicable silence when Bailey suddenly noticed the Latina's hands were shaking violently as she scrubbed them until they were raw and red and threatening to bleed, "Celia, woah, woah, Celia. Calm down, what's going on with you?" Cristina inclined her head, eyes widening at her impassive, emotionless person, and a feeling of trepidation hit her. Still in a trance, Celia choked out in a raspy tone as she continued to scrub her hands, not noticing that a few droplets of blood were starting to trickle down her palms, "Being locked up in a solitary confinement isn't the worst thing that could happen to someone. Sometimes, people imprisoned in a dump in a crowded room could be so much worse. Much, much, much, _much_ worse."

"Uh, Celia, you're, you're hands are starting to bleed," Cristina hesitantly approached the Latina as Bailey paged the Chief and Meredith Grey, knowing by now that only those two understood Chávez the best. As the Korean Intern placed a hand over her blistering ones to pull them away from the scalding water, Celia jolted, snapped out of her eerie trance and screamed, "No, DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Celia, wha-"Bailey's jaw was agape, completely rendered speechless by the odd phenomenon; "Cristina back off, back off. Let's give her some space. Do you have any idea what's wrong with her?" both the resident and the intern could do nothing but watch in pure horror as Celia started hyperventilating while hysterically rubbing her bleeding hands together. Cristina shook her head rapidly, "I-I don't kn-, wait, the patient, Constance. Ever since she's been admitted, Celia's been acting strange-"

At that moment, the door banged open and Richard appeared in their line of vision; he had noticed Celia shaking at the end of the surgery, but thought nothing of it until he was paged 911 by Bailey. Ignoring the other two, he focused on Celia and forcibly yet gently escorted her out and away from prying eyes. His goddaughter had been avoiding her problems for far too long, and her past was finally catching up to her.

Before he left, he pierced Dr. Bailey and Dr. Yang with a serious gaze, "You keep what happened here to yourself. You can tell Meredith Grey, but other than her, _nobody_. You got me? Nobody!"

 ****GA****

Derek buried his face into the palms of his hand; the first day had reached its end and he managed to keep his promise, he ignored Celia and treated her like a pariah, but despite his actions, he couldn't fool himself and trick his mind and heart into playing along. All day, all he could do was think of the frigid Latina, obsessing over the conversation between her and the Chief in the elevator, and worrying about her, even though he had absolutely no right too. Not anymore. He had a wife, he had Addison, he sat with her during lunch, they succeeded in conversing politely after arguing all morning about moving out of the trailer, she confessed that she was lonely and he promised to treat her better, and that her Derek would be back.

But whenever he looked into her emerald eyes, he couldn't ignore the overwhelming disappointment, he couldn't dismiss the fact that he missed staring into entrancing chocolates… those captivating almond-shaped chocolate eyes that would rarely shine with mirth and gleam with positive emotions, but when they did, never failed in taking his breath away.

Straightening up, he left the Attending's lounge, recalling his promise to take Addison out for dinner; he forced a brilliant smile on his face when he noticed her waiting for him by the entrance of the hospital, and just when he jogged over to her, he recognized her scowling at a frantic Meredith Grey.

"Dr. Grey, you're supposed to be looking after Charlotte," Addison snapped, enraged by the intern's disobedience. Meredith defiantly glared back at Satan, "I'm sorry, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, but the Chief paged me-"

"What? He never told me anything!" she fumed; Derek's blue-blue eyes noticed the Chief standing by the familiar car of Grey and Celia's and he pointed him out lest the two women start fighting in public. "Chief," Addison growled, "I had Dr. Grey on my service for one of the quints."

Richard leveled her with a solemn stare, "Addison, I assigned Dr. Stevens to look after them. Dr. Grey is… busy," ignoring the married Attendings, he focused his attention onto Grey, his face softening, "Meredith, I need you to take Celia home-"

"What? What happened? Where is she?" Meredith was in a hysterical state as she let out a litany of fretful questions. Derek felt his heart sink and found himself unable to mask his concern from showing on his handsome visage; even Addison looked deeply engrossed with the abrupt turn in events.

Richard put a hand on her shoulder, effectively calming Meredith down, "She's asleep in the car right now. She had-, she had an episode."

Those words meant nothing to Derek, but interestingly, they did to Meredith as the color drained from her face and she recoiled as if struck, her expression one of palpable horror and distress, "B-But, she hadn't had a episode in, in _years_." Richard dragged a hand down his weary face and passed over her car keys, "I know. I already called Ian, he's going to meet you at the house, and I have given Celia the rest of the week off. I'll be waiting for your call and I'll visit tomorrow."

Meredith wasted no time in snatching the keys and clambering into the car to take her best friend and sister home. Richard briskly bid the married couple goodnight and Addison only had to take a brief look at her husband to recognize that, no matter what Derek said, no matter how much time he wasted in trying to convince her otherwise, Celia Chávez held a huge part of his heart, and she didn't think their marriage had a chance of survival.

Swallowing harshly, Derek forced a smile; he promised not to get involved in Celia's life anymore – he was her boss, and she was his intern. That's all. That's all they could ever be.

Jumping into the car, he asked in a manner of forced calm, "So, Italian or Japanese?"

 ****GA****

Sunken brown eyes groggily blinked opened, scoped the room and noticing only one of her doctors were present. "Where's Bombshell? Did I scare her off?" her voice came out hoarse and apparently her dark humor was completely unappreciated by the look on the impassive woman's face.

Cristina, like Celia, hadn't been able to stomach being in the close proximity of a murderer, but she shrugged it off and adopted her regular approach of stoic professionalism, ignoring the patient's ill-attempt at humor, especially since she was deeply concerned over her person, who, according to Bailey, had been informed by Chief Webber that Meredith took her home. "Your surgery went smoothly. You'll have some abdominal pain for a day or two."

"Just a day or two?" Constance meekly inquired, unable to hide her disappointment. Nodding, Cristina dutifully informed her, "We'll watch you until your bowels start moving again. The average is about 36 hours."

Constance abruptly sat up, wincing at the sudden pain, " _36_?! Four razor blades and _that's all_ you can give me? Come on sugar plum, I thought we were having fun." Cristina gritted her teeth in annoyance and went to leave when she suddenly called out in desperation, "Don't leave! Just maybe a little conversation? They got me here in all by myself. I thought I'd have a roommate. Somebody to talk to."

Celia's previous words regarding being locked up in isolation flashed in the forefront of her mind, but Cristina dismissed it, not wanting to start fretting about her Latina friend, and so, she decided to satiate her curiosity. "Ok. Why'd you kill three people?" she bluntly asked, taking Constance aback.

"Start off with a little small talk why don't you?" came her sarcastic response, not missing a beat, but when Cristina rolled her eyes and went to leave, the words spilled out, desperate for some company after being starved of it for so long. "I was high. On meth," she started off in a hush, prompting Cristina to freeze and listen intently, "And I had this boyfriend who had this robbery all planned out. He said that he would leave me if I didn't help him. Things got out of control," she sighed, tracing random patterns on the bed sheet, unable to meet the stern onyx orbs of Cristina's, "He was gonna leave me and … he was all I had. I would've been all alone."

No, she didn't pity the inmate at all. It was a lousy excuse to kill three people… to rob three people of their lives, their futures… to rob their loved ones, their families of people they cared about.

In a cold nuance, Cristina snapped, "Clearly being alone has its benefits."

Constance Ferguson didn't deserve her pity, not even the least bit.

 ****GA****

The distinctive sounds of Ian and Meredith arguing shook the entire foundation, abruptly awakening the brunette from her restless sleep. She scrunched her nose in confusion, inspecting her surroundings with disoriented eyes and gasping upon finding herself at home, burrowed under her warm blanket in her bedroom, and then… then she remembered. Her horrible day started to vividly play out in her head and wide chocolate orbs stared at her reddened hands in horror.

Bailey, Cristina, Richard, Meredith and god knows who else… they saw her lost control, observed her nervous breakdown, watched her succumb into the despair of an episode. Fuck! She hadn't had an episode since freshman year… since leaving Beverly Hills… it was happening again. The murderer, Constance Ferguson, she was the breaking point, her words… her condition was what brought it on but… the harsh truth was that Vince was the sole reason. Being in a monogamous relationship always had her experiencing and wrestling with erratic episodes, after all, that was the reason why Celia Chávez didn't date; Constance Ferguson merely caused her to finally break.

But she had to try.

She promised Ian, she promised Vince to give him a chance.

She wouldn't give up.

Celia Chávez wasn't a quitter.

Slowly, she got out of bed and ambled over to her closet; she unscrewed the loose floorboard from the back of her closet and retrieved the familiar cardboard box where all her secrets, all the unimaginable horrors that she witnessed and experienced and survived, all the gruesome skeletons of her past, were stashed in.

That was how Ian found her a few minutes later, rooting through a plethora of complex papers, emotionless chocolate orbs glued to a peculiar picture.

A look of sorrow and pain crossed Ian's devastatingly handsome face and he slowly procured the picture from her loose grip, before sitting down on the floor beside her and embracing her in a tight hug. When Ian got the frantic call from Richard informing him of the day's alarming events in Seattle Grace and that his baby sister had an episode, he was consumed with worry, unable to handle the fact that his baby sister would be reliving the horrors of her past again, that she was regressing, and knowing that it was mostly his fault… that he had no one to blame but himself, since he had been the one to push her into giving Vince a chance.

"Is this," he waved the picture, "The reason?" _The reason of your episode_ … he didn't have to say those words for Celia to comprehend. She shook her head and burrowed her head into the crook of his neck before whispering, "No. I've been having night terrors about that," she inclined her head toward the picture, "But my episode was about _him_ ," she spat out.

"I'm sorry, CeCe. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you to date Vince," Ian rambled, keeping his tears at bay; he would not cry in front of his sister, she needed him to be strong for her. "If you want, I'll break things off for you, give him some excuse…"

400 years ago another well-known English guy had an opinion about being alone. John Donne. He thought we were never alone. Of course, it was fancier when he said it: No man is an island entire unto himself.

Yup, definitely fancy.

"No. No, Ian, thank you, but-, I think I should give him a shot. He could be the one, you never know," she smiled weakly, but Celia and Ian both knew, and even Meredith who currently stood eavesdropping from the corridor… all three of them knew, that it was merely wishful thinking, and that Celia would sooner or later, end up alone… single again.

Boil down that island talk and he just meant that all anyone needs is someone to step in and let us know we're not alone. And who's to say that someone can't have four legs, someone to play with or run around with… or just hang out.

 **A/N:** **Okay, gotta admit, this one was an angsty chapter, but I hope you all liked it?! XD**

 **This was an important chapter… yes, I know things were vague and if you read closely, you might be able to guess a few things correctly… but I'm purposely keeping things vague for the big revealing later on as the story progresses. So please be patient with me.**

 **Another issue: Yes, there was no DELIA, but look at it from my perspective… I cannot and I will not change Celia's personality, she won't be begging Derek to leave Addie and take her back. Celia is tough as nails, cutthroat, a hardcore surgeon and Cruella De Vil, she won't give in to her emotions, emotions she is stubbornly keeping suppressed. As for Derek, I mean the guy deserves a break from running after Celia like a lovestruck idiot especially since it appears to be one-sided. I promise that Derek will return to his romantic self soon, but for now they will be professional and distant. DELIA is a slow burn and I already have the moment they will finally get together all mapped out in my head, and it won't be happening any time soon, not at all, so please be patient. I am not a fan of couples immediately being all lovey dovey, I like making it realistic, adding suspense and making them suffer for a while, especially to maintain Celia's personality and not make her OOC.**

 **Don't worry, Celia won't be suffering for long, she'll return to her cold, sarcastic self and next chapter I'll add more humor and ixnay all the angst. So, I hope you liked the change in this chapter, and please, remember, this chapter is VERY important for the future to better understand Celia!**

 **R &R.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Ian Chamberlain – Chris Evans.**

 **Vince Grant – Chris Pine.**

 **Chapter 21:**

Blink. Blink. And blink again.

After six days of a forced respite from Seattle Grace due to suffering from a nervous breakdown, coupled with experiencing her first episode in years after the inmate's surgery, Celia woke up excited and more than ready to bounce back to being an intern. Unfortunately, almond-shaped chocolate orbs wouldn't cease their incessant blinking due to watery, round black eyes the size of coins staring right back at her. Eyes belonging to a mutt. A random mutt she had never seen before now, sitting on _her_ bed, its tongue lolling out and its tail wagging rapidly. And just when the Latina had been about to loudly voice out her confusion, a chipper Meredith skipped inside, prompting the nuisance to bark loudly.

"You've met, Doc!" um, okay…. cryptic much?

And then… the penny dropped and Celia whipped around to face her twisted sister, so fast, she nearly risked whiplash. "Oh, no. No, no, no. Please don't tell me you bought a dog? _Meredith Grey_!"

Meredith smiled sheepishly as she scratched… _Doc_ behind the ear, "Yeah, that was my initial reaction when the issue was brought up," she shrugged, "But after Emily-"seeing Celia's frown of confusion, Meredith rolled her eyes and clarified, "Emily… one of the quints. So yeah. Izzie was depressed after Emily died and she threw the option out there, you know? And then, Ian seconded the notion, saying that it might be good for you to have a lovable dog around… what with them being man's best friend and all. So, meet Doc, the newest inhabitant of our little frat house," Meredith beamed after concluding her speech.

Finally managing to lift her jaw from the ground, Celia spluttered, "That is, this-this is… how ridiculous, Death! You're being absurd! Izzie needed some extra loving because Alex cheated on her with Syph Nurse followed by a baby she got attached to dying, okay then _fine_ , get _her_ the dog. But I don't, I repeat, _do not_ ," she stressed, pointing an accusing finger from the… _dang it_ – really adorable dog – to Meredith, "Need a mutt. I'm perfectly fine. It was just a minor relapse, that's al-"her speech was interjected by the loud blaring of her cellphone. Meredith, who was closer to it, grabbed it from the bedside table, lifted a brow and passed it over to Celia who grimaced upon seeing the I.D. Caller and turned off her phone. "I'll let voicemail get that," the Latina murmured.

Unconvinced, Meredith crossed her arms against her chest and confronted her indignant sister that was stubbornly averting all eye contact, "You're avoiding Vince. Don't bother deflecting or denying! For the past three days he's been calling the landline, Ian, and even _my_ phone nonstop, claiming that you haven't been returning any of his calls and disappeared from the face of the earth! Hell, he even called Cristina. _Cristina_ , Celia!" when Celia remained stubbornly quiet, Meredith promptly carried on, "Also, yesterday he stopped by at the hospital. Apparently he stopped by the house and stood by the front door, ringing the buzzer and knocking for an hour, and no one answered; which is funny, because you haven't left the house in _three days_ , since you started ignoring him. Talk to me, CeCe. You know you can tell me anything. Is it… is it because Christmas is nearby?"

Celia was burning a hole at the wall opposite her, adamant in avoiding the ever-knowing light green eyes and subconsciously, she found her hand reaching out to stroke Doc's belly.

 **It's an urban myth that suicide rates spike at the holidays. Turns out, they actually go down. Experts think that people are less inclined to off themselves when surrounded by family.**

"CeCe?" Meredith gently nudged her, making herself comfortable on the bed and enveloping her in a warm embrace, patiently waiting and desperately hoping that her Latina sister would finally confess after leaving everything bottled up since her episode at the beginning of the week. Swallowing the ginormous lump dwelling in her throat, Celia rested her head in the crook of Meredith's neck and whispered, "I'm just delaying the inevitable, Death."

Best friends and soul sisters since childhood, despite the fact that they were separated for eight years when Sophie Chávez up and left Seattle and moved herself and her daughter to Beverly Hills to become Mrs. Chamberlain, while Ellis Grey dragged Meredith to Boston, their reunion at Dartmouth, if possible, brought them even closer, evolving into best friends and twisted sisters, and therefore, the two girls never had to clarify or simplify their feelings into painstaking words. Celia and Meredith always had a connection and those six words were more than enough for the dirty-blonde to widen her eyes in comprehension and force eye-contact with the Latina.

" _Already_? It's barely over a month…"biting her lips in concern, Meredith sighed loudly, "Last week, in the OR; it hasn't been the first episode, has it?" Celia disentangled their limbs, abruptly stood up, and headed over to the adjoining bathroom for a warm shower, wordlessly ending the morose conversation.

Thirty minutes later, Celia descended the staircase, fully intending to make a beeline to the coffeepot when she suddenly halted in her tracks as she went to pass by the living room. Mouth agape, eyes widened and limbs frozen, the words poured out of her mouth, "Am I in hell?" she didn't even notice a dumbfounded Meredith and a bleary-eyed George on either side of her in the midst of her shock.

The beautifully polished and tastefully elegant living room had been completely modified into Santa's workshop. Red, green, gold, and every cheerful color imaginable winked back at her from every nook and cranny. _Frick!_ Even the ceiling was lavished in red and gold! It was over the top – _way_ too over the top! Celia expected reindeers and elves to pop out from under the plethora of disgustingly bright and cheerful decorations and she was feeling extremely claustrophobic just by looking at what used to be the classy and aesthetic living room.

"Looks like Santa threw up in here," George commented in pure shock, taking the words right out of Celia's mouth. Nodding absently, Meredith lightly grasped her wrist and hissed, "Just… go with it. We're being supportive."

Finally succeeding in tearing her eyes away from the ghastly scene, Celia glared at her twisted sister, "Speak for yourself! This is a nightmare! A horrible, _horrible_ nigh-"

"Oh, hey!" Izzie chirped out sounding disgustingly cheerful as she noticed the three of them, nauseating Celia further, "What do you think?" she inquired, gesturing her hand around the room. Meredith and George flashed painfully fake smiles while Celia merely stared at her blankly as she suppressed the bile in her throat. A small wrinkle appeared on Blondie's forehead, "Did I go overboard? Oh, I know, I know sometimes I can go a little overboard."

"Well, you know what they say. Acceptance is the first step to recovery," Celia coldly retorted, prompting two elbows to either side of her. George chuckled nervously, "Ignore her, Iz. We, we _love_ it!" Meredith nodded fervently, "It's great!"

 **Ironically, that same family togetherness is thought to be the reason depression rates actually do spike at the holidays.**

Izzie's face threatened to split in two as a vibrant smile overtook her features, "Oh yay! I love Christmas!"

In unison, Meredith and George quipped, "We know," and simultaneously, Celia drawled out in an emotionless voice, "Clearly." Suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, Izzie burst out into song, loudly and merrily singing Christmas carols at the top of her lungs.

 **Yeah, okay, Izzie doesn't count!**

Horror and fury; both emotions were fighting for dominance and before she could implode, Celia gritted out, "Fuck coffee! I'll get from the vendors at the hospital, just get me the hell out of here. _Now!_ " Meredith and George didn't need her to tell them twice. Not even a minute later, and the three interns were speeding down the road away from Izzie's festive cheer.

 _Let the Christmas maniac find her own ride!_

 ****GA****

Watching the Nazi actually _waddle_ over to them for rounds was really demolishing Celia's image of her hardcore resident. A mama-Nazi was really a hard picture to imagine, but if anybody could be deathly terrifying and a nurturing mother at the same time, Celia Chávez had no doubt that Miranda Bailey could possibly be the only exception, the only surgeon to excel in that.

"Look at her belly. She's almost as wide as she is tall," George commented in a sickly sweet tone that made Celia want to hurl. Seriously, what was with all the sudden cheer going around?! Meredith grinned, her eyes scrutinizing their resident as she loomed closer, "Are her ankles swollen? Is that why she's waddling?"

And then Izzie addressed the elephant in the room, the topic they had been adamantly avoiding ever since Bailey first announced her unexpected pregnancy, "What's gonna happen to us when she goes on leave?"

"Leave? She's going on leave?" Cristina spluttered, unable to imagine such sacrilege. Celia snorted loudly, her face devoid of any emotion as she addressed the Korean Intern – who had thankfully, not once uttered a word about her previous breakdown or her return to the hospital after six days of forced reprieve, "She's pushing a baby out of her vagina, Cristina. Soon enough, she won't be able to waddle around the hospital and do her job. It doesn't take a gyne to know that."

George chuckled, "Do you think we're gonna get a new resident?" Cristina looked appalled while Meredith and Celia grimaced, unable to stomach the mere thought. Alex, however, retorted with much sarcasm, "Nah. Probably just let us all walk around unattended. See how much damage we can do."

Watching Bailey pause by the nurse's station, Izzie brightly rounded up on her five co-interns, "Hey you guys, we should all get together and get Bailey a Christmas gift for the baby. Or we could… um, organize some sort of Secret Santa thing."

Christina didn't look impressed at all, "Ok, listen Tiny Tim, you can take-"Meredith clapped a hand over her mouth and George beamed at the blonde trying to instill as much cheer into his voice, "Sounds great!"

"Secret Santa sounds-"but Celia had had more than enough with those two walking on eggshells around the sickly sweet, bright and annoyingly perky Izzie. "No! No, it does not sound great!" Celia snarled looking quite deranged and she glared at Izzie, " _None of this sounds '_ GREAT'! I swear to G.O.D, if you don't shut the fuck up about your stupid and moronic ideas of celebration, I'll put my foot up your ass and bang a door _repeatedly_ against your head until. You. DO!"

A stifling silence surrounded the six interns, and much to Celia's confusion, the other five were all gaping at a specific something directly behind the Latina. Pivoting around in an excruciatingly slow motion, cold chocolate eyes met shocked blue-blue ones and she inwardly groaned, facepalming herself. Naturally, who else but Derek Shepherd would be passing by in close proximity to hear Celia's Christmas-Bashing rant. Of course, the _one person_ she had been desperately avoiding a run-in with. Clearing his throat, Derek stiffly nodded at them and without a word, walked away, as though Celia was transparent.

"Welcome back, Dr. Chávez," Bailey grunted as she decided to finally bless them with her presence; _Great… Perfect timing!_

 ****GA****

Someone or, or some _thing_ was conspiring against her, Celia was damn sure of it! But one thing the Latina knew without a doubt was that the Nazi had adopted a sick sense of humor and had only gotten meaner urged by her pregnancy hormones. Why do you ask? Simple. Dr. Bailey had assigned her to be Dr. Shepherd's intern. And not only was she his only intern, oh no… to make matters worse, Dr. Sunny Stevens had been assigned to his service as well.

Unable to escape her nuisance of a roommate at home, nor at the hospital, now Celia had to work alongside the man she feared due to the feelings he evoked in her, the blonde that was giving her a migraine… oh no, let's add more cards to the deck; the patient was a revolting jubilant man who had an optimistic, festive attitude that his wife and three irritating children seemed to have inherited in spades. The little girl wouldn't shut her gob, incessantly squeaking out Christmas carols and Celia prayed for a miracle in getting her away from Derek's service and the fivesome's cheerful disposition.

Unfortunately, Celia was being conspired against and no aid materialized out of thin air.

Standing in front of the patient's room listening with one ear to Derek and Izzie discuss the patient's history, Cristina energetically waved at her before making a beeline, her face flushed with elation and eyes dilated manically, "Celia, guess what? Burke and your brother are performing a heart transplant, and I'm the intern on the case! Isn't that great?"

"I. Will. Kill. You," Celia groused out, one hand massaging both temples with her thumb and middle finger, "Seriously, Cristina. Walk away, or I won't be held guilty for my actions." Cristina adopted a concerned and sympathetic expression as she took a page from Meredith's book, titled 'How To Deal With Celia Chávez's Mood-Swings' and remained silent. Celia didn't fail, "You've got a hardcore supercool surgery while I'm forced to watch over Mr. and Mrs. Claus and their three chipper, carol-singing offspring. I hate you," she pouted.

Before Cristina could process her words and verbally soothe her, Derek cut in, his voice stern and face taut, "Dr. Yang, Dr. Chávez, if you have finished. This is a hospital, not a lounge. Go, Yang. Now!" Cristina sent Celia one last grimace before scuttling away, leaving Celia's emotionless orbs to meet the furious ones of her Attending, "This is a hospital, Dr. Chávez, we have patients, and whether we like it or not, we have a duty to help them. Now if you don't like it or if you're bored working in my service then I'll inform your Resident that you're not cut for Neuro and ban you from my OR."

Izzie's back was pressed against the wall, trying to make herself invisible as she gaped at the stark change in McDreamy's benign attitude, especially in the face of the frigid brunette. It was as if Derek Shepherd was possessed and was channeling the Nazi. Straightening her posture, Celia ducked her head and professionally uttered, "I am sorry, Dr. Shepherd. My behavior is unacceptable and unprofessional and it won't happen again."

He hated treating Celia so caustically, but he was her boss. Derek was the Attending and Celia was his intern. Countless of times she incessantly implored him to treat her as such, and he had finally acquiesced. And although he _hated_ the newfound attitude he adopted with the Latina, Derek simply nodded and sternly retorted, "See that it doesn't, or you're off the case."

"Derek!" Three heads whipped around to face the gorgeous redhead with emerald eyes; _ah, saved by Satan_ ; that was one sentence Celia never expected to ever be lumped together by her. In an abrupt manner, Derek informed the two interns to get the patient's scans as he approached his _wife_ and became absorbed in conversation.

Izzie inched closer to the brunette who was obviously masking her hurt, "What was that about?"

Celia's eyes shuttered close and she leaned her head against the wall, "That was Dr. Shepherd doing as I asked. He is being my boss."

 ****GA****

It didn't take long for the two interns to retrieve Tim Epstein's CT scans, and as they made a beeline to Derek, a small vindictive part of Celia was ecstatic with their timely intrusion as they cut into the married couple's conversation. Addison's eyes bored into Celia's as her bright smile faded into one of disappointment before she lifted her head haughtily and walked away, leaving her husband alone with the two interns, one of which captured a huge part of his heart despite his litany of denials.

"What do you think?" Derek inquired as he quickly inspected the CT scan. Trading looks with a desolate Izzie, Celia grimaced, "It's not great."

Derek exhaled loudly, "Oh no, that's not great _at all_ ," and he subsequently inclined his head toward the patients room. Knocking on the door, the Attending entered, shadowed by the two interns and all three of them faced the jovially smiling Tim Epstein. Clearing her throat, Izzie addressed the room, "Mr. Epstein, we're sorry to interrupt. You remember Dr. Shepherd?"

"Um, should we talk more privately?" Derek subtly glanced at the three children, all of whom were staring expectantly at the three surgeons. Mrs. Epstein smiled softly while shaking her head, "Just tell us. Is it bad?"

Adopting professionalism, Derek relayed the results, "The fall has caused a subdural hematoma." The little girl who had been incessantly squeaking out carols all morning, spoke in a childishly baby voice, "I don't even know what it means."

"That means your dad… his brain is bleeding," Derek hesitantly informed her, prompting her gleeful expression to turn morose, "Look, there are some risks to the surgery, it has to happen before the bleeding gets worse," and when questioned of the risks, Derek complied, "The bleed is in an area of the brain that control the speech and the motor control."

One of the boys that Celia vividly recalled was named Jake, aggressively piped up, "We don't need the operation, ok?!" Ugh, Celia really despised kids; ignoring a problem wouldn't make it magically disappear, but she obediently kept her vitriolic thoughts to herself as Mr. and Mrs. Epstein chastised their son.

"We have a doctor named Shepherd," came Mrs. Epstein's baffling statement. Tim beamed and ruffled his son's hair with much gusto, "Shepherd. Is that a sign from God or what?"

Celia bit the inside of her cheek in a desperate attempt to keep her laughter muted while Izzie shifted about in an uncomfortable manner. Derek however, plainly looked weirded out, rendered speechless by the parents' conclusion, and when his eyes flickered toward his interns, he made the mistake of meeting a pair of mirthful chocolate eyes that were currently shining with amusement and that effectively took his breath away. It had been six excruciatingly long days since he had seen the Latina intern, and during the entirety of the morning, Celia had been nothing but frigid, impassive and outright abrasive… but now, he was blessed with the opportunity of seeing the light side of the woman he fell for; every cell in his body longed to hold her in his arms and enjoy the rare moment, but he forced such sensations away and regrettably walked out of the room, leaving the two interns to prepare Mr. Epstein for surgery.

Celia Chávez was testing his limits, and she would no doubt end up being the death of him. Unfortunately, he couldn't prolong his avoidance of the Latina; two hours later found Derek Shepherd donning on his customary ferryboat scrub cap and scrubbing in for surgery, adamantly ignoring Celia who stood to the patient's right with Dr. Stevens in the OR.

There was a tranquil silence as he operated, until Izzie absently commented, "What a great family. Hanumas. Chrismakkuh. And how _cute_ are those kids?"

"Adorable," Celia deadpanned, not once detaching her eyes from the operation and Derek's nimble hands. It had been two months since she scrubbed in on a Neuro case due to her adamant avoidance of Derek Shepherd and she was suddenly awakened to the wrongness of her actions, depriving herself of education due to the issues in her private life. Derek too, had been thinking amongst the same lines, unable to recall the last time Celia had been assigned to his service and a part of him felt relief that the chatterbox blonde was around to alleviate the tension.

"I think it's sweet," Izzie pointed out, not fooled by the Latina's sarcasm. Derek sighed as he deftly operated on Tim Epstein, "Do you happen to know the time of year neurosurgeons are the busiest, Dr. Stevens?"

Blinking in confusion, Izzie cocked her head to the side, "No. There's a time of year?"

"Well there's no hard or fast rule but brain injuries tend to pile up around the holidays," Derek started, "Like our friend here. Folks fall off their roofs while they string up lights or they go skating for the first time in a decade, break their heads open," the color drained from Izzie's face and Celia suddenly, to nearly everybody but the blonde's confusion, looked triumphant, "And every year, people drive through blizzards to get to parties where they kiss germ-infected strangers under poisonous mistletoe and then they get so drunk they smash their heads against their windshield on their way home." After a slight pause where the tension surmounted, Derek concluded his morbid, mood-killer speech, "Like I said, there's no hard or fast rule."

 _Talk about sucking all the happiness from the room._

As the Attending and the two interns scrubbed out of the surgery, Celia smirked at a despondent Izzie, "What did I tell you, Iz? Holidays are better off ignored. Toodles!" and she skipped away, a new pep in her step, leaving behind a baffled Derek and a vexed blonde.

 _So maybe the day was looking up after all!_

"What was that about?" Derek inquired, brows knitting together in confusion. Acidly, Izzie spat out as she hurled her gloves into the trash, "That was the embodiment of the Grinch bidding us farewell. Honestly Dr. Shepherd, you're better off without Celia in your life, sucking out all the happiness from the air!" and before she could be scolded for inappropriate behavior, she stormed away.

Derek placed both palms on the sink and lowered his head, eyes clenched shut as he tried to drown out the pain and the hurt from his system; Stevens was right… what was he thinking, trying to win Celia over? He was light, she was dark… he was optimistic, she was pessimistic… he was happy, she was angry… he was the sun, she was the moon… and he was willing to make a leap of faith and risk everything for love, while Celia Chávez closed herself off from the word and instilled gloom in everyone but those she loved's lives.

 ****GA****

The surgery had some weird effect on Tim Epstein; gone was the jubilance disposition and in its place, was a bitter man, spewing forth insulting and vitriolic remarks, practically reducing his children to tears. Derek promised a tearful Mrs. Epstein that he would personally perform another CT scan in hopes of recognizing the reason for such a major glitch in his persona and as they departed the gloomy room, Izzie wasted no time in speaking up.

"How did that happen? I mean his personality… you didn't go anywhere near his frontal lobe."

"Well, the CT might've missed something. Or a personality change could be a reaction from the anesthesia wearing off. Could be the pain," Derek calmly hypothesized, in his line of profession, he was used to such altering results. Celia snorted loudly, uncaring over her harshness or the consequences of her words, "I don't know what all the fuss is about. In my opinion, I think Mr. Epstein's personality change is wonderful and a breath of fresh air that would do him good."

The words ' _breath of fresh air_ ' coming forth from those pouty lips that never failed to entrance Derek, in such an acerbic way, made him snap, but before he or Izzie could scold the emotionless Latina, a nurse hesitantly approached them, her face set in unadulterated fear as she addressed Celia, "Dr. Chávez, a Mr. Grant has been asking for you."

Eyes widening, her heart skipped a beat and Celia rudely dismissed the nurse, "Tell him I'm busy."

"Actually, Nurse Romy, she's not," Derek snapped, eyes ablaze as he faced Celia who looked vehemently taken aback, "You're off my service, Chávez. Get- get out of my sight. Just go!" he snarled, abruptly turning away and barking for Izzie to walk with him.

There was a sudden hush in the hallway as all eyes blatantly stared at Celia's immobile form, unable to deftly mask the hurt and humiliation in her uncaring façade any longer. Nodding crisply at the nurse, Celia stormed away with her head held high, inwardly cursing Derek Shepherd, for there was no mistaking the fact that a huge scene had been produced and in less than an hour, those pathetic, lifeless gossipmongers would be spreading her moment of mortification around the entire Seattle Grace Hospital, making her a laughing stock. Surprisingly, Celia didn't care a lick about the gossip – gossip always followed her wherever she went; she only cared about Derek's treatment of her, and she knew, oh, Celia knew that she finally succeeded in pushing Derek away with her abrasive attitude.

One would think Celia Chávez was used to rejection. Her whole life, people had always given up on her and left her alone; claiming her to be a hopeless case; even her own mother. All but Meredith.

Blue-grey eyes inspected her. Masking her true feelings, Celia approached Vince and forced a smile, that looked positively painful, on her visage, "Vince, what are you doing here? I'm working."

"This, uh, this won't take long," Vince nervously interlaced his fingers with hers as he escorted her to the bench in front of the hospital, away from prying ears. Celia remained stoic, having her suspicions of what her boyfriend wanted to talk about. "CeCe, I don't know how to say this, but, ugh," his expression morphed into one of frustration and he bluntly announced, "It's not working. This. _Us_. It's just, I'm sorry. I can't, I can't continue on with this relationship."

Celia smiled sadly, and nodded in acceptance, surprising Vince who gasped out, "You're, you're not surprised. You've been expecting it, you've been expecting us to fail." It wasn't a question, but an agonizing statement filled with disappointment and hurt. Slowly, Celia released her hands from his hold and brought his palm to her lips before kissing it softly and staring at him with wide, imploring chocolate eyes, "Oh, Vince. Of course I did. Don't you remember how I was fervently against us becoming a couple? I do recall me telling you that I'm cursed."

In a tender movement, Vince tucked a strand behind her ear and caressed her jaw with the back of his fingers, "Damn, Celia. I'm sorry. I wish I listened to you, I would have spared us all this. I really liked you. Ever since I visited Dartmouth with Ian and Ronnie, I haven't been able to get you off my mind, and when Ian put the suggestion out there, I arrogantly believed I'd be the one. It's just… I tried to ignore it but… those nightmares of yours? They're brutal and I don't think I'm equipped to handle a broken girl. I'm not the one that can help you, and… listening to your night terrors… I pretended to be oblivious hoping they would suddenly stop, but… it's been three weeks and they haven't."

He didn't need to say it. Celia heard them all. Vince was her fourth boyfriend and he was the only one that sugarcoated that fact that she was a twisted, hopeless defect of a human being. For some reason, she preferred her past boyfriend's breakup speech… she would gladly embrace vicious honesty than a sweet goodbye.

Wanting nothing more than to lick her wounds alone, or preferably with Meredith after being publicly disgraced by Derek and then effectively dumped by Vince, Celia needed to be alone with her morbid thoughts. Standing on her tiptoes, Celia placed a soft, chaste kiss on her handsome ex-boyfriend's cheek and forced a cheeky smile, "Vince?"

"Hmm?" Vince awaited her next words with a miserable expression. Walking backwards into the hospital, Celia grinned, " _I told you so_!" Vince let out a bark of laughter, though it had a woeful tinge to it as he recalled her exact words in the cafeteria before they became a couple: _"Fine, I accept your dare. But when you end up terminating our relationship, you don't get to disappear until after I've said, '_ I told you so.' _"_

"Damn, how I wish you weren't right. We could have had something great," Vince whispered to himself as he sat on the bench by his lonesome, waiting for Ian to get out of surgery so that he could explain himself to the overprotective brother.

 ****GA****

"I can't hear you when his hand is on your boob." Those were the random words that welcomed Celia when she arrived at the interns' usual hangout spot. "Oh, hey, Celia, it's uh… not what you think," George sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, his face reddening in mortification. Celia's brows lifted on their own accord at the scene she had walked in on; Cristina was laid down on her back while Alex's hand was frozen over her chest and a sniggering Meredith sat next to George as they watched Alex feel her up.

"Uh, what's up, guys? I hope I'm not interrupting something…" Celia inquired, staring strangely at the four interns. Alex smirked, "Get your head out of the gutter. They're helping me study for my boards tomorrow."

"Oh," Celia approached them and slumped down next to Meredith whose radar immediately went on overdrive, "Don't worry about it. You'll ace it for sure."

Meredith nudged her, "What's wrong?"

"Don't tell me you're sad because McDreamy kicked you off his case," Cristina repositioned herself into a sitting position, and all four interns awaited her response. Celia growled lowly in her throat and snapped, "Of course you heard about that. I was hoping the nurses would delay the juicy gossip for a while longer. Lifeless bitches!" she swore.

Alex scoffed, "No dice."

Shaking her head, Celia adamantly maintained eye-contact with the lighting on the celling, "Vince dumped me." A sharp intake of breath escaped Meredith's lungs and she immediately embraced the Latina in a hug, knowing that hell would freeze over before the frigid brunette admitted that she was hurt over the inevitable breakup. Alex turned purple in rage, his hands twitching as he itched to punch the bastard. George gave her a sympathetic frown while Cristina let out a noise of disgust and said, "Forget him. You deserve better than that guy anyways! He doesn't get you. You need somebody that matches you in intelligence, up to par with your wit and sarcasm, and that can deal with your mood swings."

"Yeah," Celia chuckled humorlessly just as her pager went off with a 911. Scowling at her pager, Celia extricated herself from the tender and comforting ambience of her friends' support and shot up to her feet, "Duty calls. I'm betting McAss complained to the Nazi about my behavior. See ya!"

However, her predication was false when she found herself facing the Chief and the Nazi, both of whom relayed to her that Ian was being examined by Derek and she wasted no time in barging into the room, a heavy scowl shrouding her face as she glared at her sheepish brother. Ignoring Derek who was currently inspecting his swollen wrist, Celia marched over to Ian, "What the hell, Ian?! Que estabas pensando? Estas loco? No peudo creer que se metió en una pelea que se supone que actuar su edad!"

Ian winced, recoiling violently; when Celia Chávez unconsciously began yelling in Spanish, it spoke volumes of her level of rage. Derek gaped, pausing in his administrations at the sound of her sexy accent; he didn't know Celia could speak fluent Spanish and it was a huge turn on.

"CeCe-"

"No! Don't _CeCe_ me, Ian Chamberlain!" Celia brusquely interrupted, holding a palm up in the air, "What possessed you to fight with Vince, your best friend! Not to forget, the risk of damaging your hand that is worth _billions!_ Noah will kill you, you know that right?"

Ian scowled at her, "First of all, Dr. Shepherd ensured that my hand is damaged. I just need to keep it on ice and it'll be good as new in two days. Second of all, did you actually think I'd be thrilled over the fact that Vince broke up with you?! You're my little sister, Celia, I will _always_ protect you."

Derek adamantly focused on wrapping Ian's hand; he didn't know how he should be feeling in regards to Celia being a single woman again.

"Ian, be real for a minute. We both knew Vince and I wouldn't last. I wasn't surprised, neither should you be. I'm cur-"

"Spare me that load of bull, Celia," Ian snarled through gritted teeth, though his expression softened, "You're not cursed. You think you are, but the problem is _them_ , not you," he sighed. Celia uncomfortably glanced at Derek, grateful that he was making himself look inconspicuous as she didn't feel comfortable with the heart-to-heart in his presence. Taking in a deep breath, Celia addressed Ian, "What's done is done. At least we learned something from all this. Next time you want to set me up, _don't_ , and that goes for Neal as well. I'm destined to remain a spinster," she chuckled dryly.

Ian smacked her lightly with his free hand, "Keep talking shit, CeCe. If it's any consolation, I preferred Vince out of all the rest." A bubble of genuine laughter escaped the Latina prompting Derek's heart to leap at the mellifluous sound, "Are you kidding me? He barely lasted the month. Nah, I preferred Drake, at least he managed to last six months."

Ian gave her a deadpanned look, "Drake? Dirty Drake your jock boyfriend during senior year? That dick was a douche! The only reason he stayed with you was because he was the most popular guy at school and according to the rumors you were the hottest girl at Beverly High _and_ for sex, as much as it pains me to say it."

"Didn't stop you from saying it," Celia giggled, shaking her head in amusement. Clearing her throat, Celia addressed Derek, "Uh, Dr. Shepherd, are you sure his hand has no lasting damage and he'll be able to operate?"

Forgetting his previous ire with the brunette after hearing her genuine laughter and gaining a bit of insight into her past, Derek smiled softly as he nearly finished wrapping Ian's hand up, "Like Dr. Chamberlain told you. He needs to keep the hand in ice and not strain it for two days."

"Thank you, Dr. Shepherd," Ian gruffly stated; he didn't want the man that hurt his sister working on him, but Richard was a stubborn old mule and wouldn't allow anyone but the best to inspect and heal his two billion dollar hands. And he grudgingly admitted that Derek was the best at Seattle Grace since his father wasn't in the zip code area.

"Ian. I think you should head back home," Celia quietly uttered. Ian smiled crookedly at her, "Bored of me already, sis?"

Rolling her eyes, Celia playfully smacked his shoulder, "As if. I found the engagement ring," she confessed, prompting Ian to stiffen slightly, "I know I am not one to shy away from showing disdain to the holidays, but you Chamberlains don't and neither does Veronica. Ronnie's favorite holiday is Christmas and I think she'd appreciate the romantic gesture of being proposed to on Christmas Eve and you know it." Holding a hand up to prevent the predictable argument, Celia said, "I'll be fine. I've been fine without you since I left for college and I'll remain fine. You know I'm right, so stop being stubborn and go make your girl happy."

 ****GA****

Rubbing his hand over his face, Derek decided some liquid courage would do him a world of good after his crappy day; he didn't know what to think. He was confused. Derek humiliated Celia in public and not even ten minutes later, she got dumped. All morning and all afternoon, Derek began to adopt feelings of disdain in regards to the Latina after her abysmal and caustic attitude, awakening him to the truth of Celia Chávez and of how much she contradicted him and many people in general. And then, he bore witness to the touching sibling scene between Celia and Ian, portraying a different side to the frigid brunette, and evoking his deeply buried feelings that he locked away in order to make things work with Addison and heal his tattered heart from her many rejections.

Hearing the tender care Celia had for her older brother… step-brother at that, and revealing the romantic side of her he never imagined her to even have, it floored him, shocking Derek Shepherd to the core. Celia Chávez held many secrets, of that he already knew, but today, he personally witnessed the Latina hide her pain and her true desire for the sake of her brother's happiness. Celia pushed Ian away from Seattle to propose to his girlfriend, knowing that what she wanted more than anything was to keep him close to her side.

Celia Chávez was an enigma to him, and today, observing her caring nature, her devotion and her humbleness, it awakened the love for her that he succeeded in locking away.

Nearing Joe's Bar, he bumped into a slim figure, and his arms shot out on their own accord, arms snaking around the woman he collided with, and he sucked in a deep breath upon finding the painstaking familiar chocolate orbs staring at him; he managed to recognize the loneliness and the misery before they disappeared and portrayed nothing but an eerie vacancy instead.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Shepherd. Pardon me," she muttered. And although it pained him to do so, Derek forced himself to release her warm physique, "No, it was my fault."

Nodding timidly, Celia's lips spread into a diminutive smile as she reached out for the door handle, "Merry Christmas, Dr. Shepherd. Excuse me."

Averting his eyes from her form as she went to join Meredith Grey and Alex Karev by the bar, Derek made a beeline toward Addison and smiled at Joe, "Merry Christmas Joe."

"Merry Christmas," Joe beamed at him and poured his regular drink, "Double scotch. Single malt." Derek chuckled before toasting him, "You're a good man, Joe." He tried to hide his grimace when Addison's fingers started stroking his arm, purring his name in a seductive manner. It took all of his effort to concentrate on his wife, and not on Celia who sat across the bar, a few aching seats away.

Brutal minutes passed by, and the awkwardness only surmounted when Addison huffed in irritation, " _Christmas_ Derek. We _love_ Christmas. At least, we used to."

It was at that moment, Derek noticed that Karev was no longer with the two interns, but two men sat on either side of them, showering them with attention and countless of drinks. Jealousy surged and he didn't miss the knowing gleam in Addison's eyes, nor the sad upturn of her lips. Forcing his absolute attention on his wife and not on the Latina's laughter permeating the air due to the strange man, Derek revealed, "Yeah… Christmas makes you want to be with people you love. I'm not saying this to hurt you or because I want to leave you. Because I don't," sadness altered into confusion, and he ploughed on, "Celia wasn't a fling, even if it was on her part. She wasn't revenge. I fell in love with her. I'm trying to get over it, but… that doesn't go away because I decided to stay with you."

Addison remained silent, contemplating the speech she had been on the receiving end of, and trying her utmost hardest to ignore the way Derek's fists clenched and unclenched whenever Celia laughed loudly, or the way his abnormally gorgeous blue eyes hardened into steel as they kept traveling toward the two interns and their respective men.

Derek used past tense: _fell in love_. Only Addison was aware that Derek was _still_ in love with her, and she feared he would _never_ stop loving her, no matter how much he tried or denied.

 **There's an old proverb that says you can't choose your family. You take what the fates hand you, and like them or not, love them or not, understand them or not...**

One hour later, Celia and the dark-haired stranger both departed from the bathroom looking sufficiently pleased, their clothes slightly wrinkled and their hair tousled and unkempt from their wild carnal activity. The Latina abruptly froze when her eyes connected with a pair of glacial blue eyes staring at her in disapproval, rage, disgust and … was that, _heartbreak_? Not a second later, Meredith showed up with her brunette stranger, eyes traveling from Celia to Derek in comprehension and without further ado, she bid a hasty farewell to the two men and yanked Celia out of Joe's Bar, away from Derek's knowing glare and into the car.

… **You cope.**

"Well, he already knew I was a broken whore," Celia chuckled humorlessly. Meredith elbowed her lightly as they walked into the living room, "Screw McAss and what he thinks. He's the one who turned out to be married, not you." A sniffle interrupted their heart-to-heart and their eyes narrowed in on Izzie, whose head was shoved under the Christmas tree, unblinkingly watching the lights. Wordlessly, the twisted sisters lied down on either side of her.

"Pretty," Meredith commented on the sparkling lights. Izzie nodded her head in agreement.

Huffing loudly, Celia grabbed Izzie's hand in a friendly demeanor and whispered, "I'm kind of sorry, about today. I was just going through something, and… my attitude was uncalled for."

 **Then there's the school of thought that says the family you're born into is simply a starting point.**

Izzie pivoted her head to stare at the Latina, surprised and quite taken aback by the genuine apology; smiling softly, she nodded again, "I'm sorry too," and she squeezed her hand to validate her apology.

"What are we doing?" George called out before making himself comfortable on Celia's other side.

"Lights," was Izzie's prompt and vague reply.

 **They feed you and clothe you and take care of you until you're ready to go out into the world… and find you tribe.**

 **A/N:** **Whew, this was a long one. I hope you liked it?! XD**

 **Spanish Translation: Que estabas pensando? Estas loco? No peudo creer que se metió en una pelea que se supone que actuar su edad! – What were you thinking? Are you crazy? I can't believe you got into a fight you are supposed to act your age!**

 **So yeah … Vince and Celia broke up… awhhh. It had to happen. Also, we won't be seeing Ian again for a while, but don't worry, he'll be back, wink, wink! XD**

 **Things are moving up, and yeah I know Derek was horrible to Celia, hence McAss, but also Celia was beyond rude in this chapter, going back to her Cruella de Vil moniker.**

 **Things are starting to look up! And we are finally moving ahead… bomb chapter is coming up soon && we are nearing the introduction of sexy McSteamy, Mark Sloan! AAHH! ;) XD**

 **R &R.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 22:**

 **Fresh starts.**

 **Thanks to the calendar, they happen every year. Just set your watch to January.**

Three weeks had gone by since Ian left Seattle and returned to his normal life with the family and Ronnie. It has been three weeks since Celia returned to singledom life. And the time were the populace began making resolutions for the new year had finally arrived.

 **Our reward for surviving the holiday season is a new year. Bringing on the great tradition of New Year's resolutions.**

But for Celia, it was a tedious routine; for nearly fourteen years, Celia's New Year's resolution never once changed. Why? Simple.

Because she could never fulfill it.

Tying her waist-length hair in a neat high ponytail, Celia ambled out of her room, only for her to halt in place at the scene playing out in the hallway. "Doc!" she sternly snapped. The irritatingly adorable dog quit barking and growling at the bathroom door and obediently made a beeline toward her, wagging his tail happily and staring up at her with adoring eyes. Celia rolled her eyes fondly – it was seriously out of her control, she had actually grown fond of tat dozy dog. "Fine, fine, you win. Don't you dare let Blondie and Bambi know that I have a soft side, you hear me?" Doc barked once in compliance, and Celia finally scratched his head, allowing him skin contact he sorely needed.

Meredith sauntered out of her respective room with a wide smile threatening to split her face in half, and she bounded towards them, kneeling on the ground and peppering the damn dog with kisses, "What a good dog! Who's mommy's good boy?" she cooed.

The bathroom door slowly opened from the inside and through the gap, Izzie and George were visibly portrayed with wide, unbelieving eyes and identical gaping jaws, both of them completely astounded over the fact that the wild dog that had previously been threatening to shred them into pieces, showed such obedience in the face of the two dark and twisted sisters. Celia subtly rolled her eyes at them – so they were capable of showing affection to an animal… _sue them_!

"Silly. Yes, I know," Meredith continued cooing Doc in a baby voice, unaware of the gobsmacked audience she had attracted, "You're a good boy. You're such a _good boy_!" Deciding to address her two bright and shiny roommates, Celia stepped away from Doc and fixed her hard chocolate orbs on them, "If you two keep hibernating in there, you're gonna be late for work," she drawled out. That captured Meredith's attention. Pushing herself onto her feet, Meredith cocked her head in confusion, "What are you guys doing in there?"

Snapping his jaw shut, George cleared his throat and bravely stepped forward, "We need to talk about the dog." He managed to instill confidence in Izzie as she too, took a step forward and hesitantly glared at the mutt, "That's _not_ a dog. It's a hyena, escaped from the zoo dressed in dog clothing."

Celia lifted a brow and crossed her arms against her chest, "Hyperbole much?"

The Latina's outward skepticism had timid George implode and he erupted into speech, "Whatever! Don't believe us, but… I don't chew up his clothes! I don't _urinate_ on his bed! I _don't_ try to mount him from behind!" Celia's hand flew up to cover her mouth, trying to hold in her choked laughter – it seems like Georgie finally managed to get himself an admirer. Meredith's expression was a mixture of outrage and confusion, "People, he's _our_ dog! We love our dog. He loves us."

"Besides," Celia drawled out as Meredith returned to fondly patting Doc on the head, "Getting a dog was _your_ idea, Izzie. A way for you to cope with your depression, or am I mistaken?" The tone of voice used by Latina had Izzie daring to negate her. Apprehensive now, Izzie diminutively inclined her head to better face George, "He tries to mount you from behind?"

" _Tries_ to?!" a scandalized George bellowed, wincing violently when Doc barked loudly at him, prompting his voice to morph into a whisper, "Tries to!"

Celia shrugged, a devious smirk materializing on her beautiful yet stony features, "So you're finally getting some action. Doc apparently loves you." George blanched at the innuendo, and all color drained completely from his face, "Celia-, _ARGH_!" and without another word, he stormed out with Izzie scurrying behind him. Adopting the perfect picture of innocence, Celia blinked at an amused Meredith, "Was it something I said?"

"Only you CeCe. Only you," Meredith laughed, shaking her head in humor.

 ****GA****

He knew he was avoiding her. Fishing had always been a constant hobby of his for whenever he needed a moment of reprieve to unwind, alone with the many thoughts wheeling in the recess of his mind. From the moment Addison showed up in Seattle – _unannounced_ – and demolished the last semblance of his happiness, waking up before the first rays of sunlight was engrained in his system. Derek stealthily extricated Addison's vice grip from his limbs, donned casual clothing and grabbed his fishing gear, and for the past two hours, Derek was a long way away from the trailer and most importantly, _away from_ _Addison_ , alone with his morose thoughts.

He fished out a trout from the water over an hour ago, but Derek wasn't ready to face the music. Oh, Derek wasn't blind, nor was he some simpleton. He knew that Addison was unhappy, that she was putting on an affable façade for the sake of saving their doomed marriage and in the hopes of converting into the couple they used to be in New York. Let it be known, Addison Montgomery, daughter of Bizzy Forbes, did not take defeat so easily, in fact, the term 'concede' did not exist in her vocabulary, and while they were interns and deeply in love, Derek found that trait of hers to be endearing, one of the factors that drew him in – now however, it was plainly aggravating.

Knowing that he couldn't delay the inevitable any longer, Derek sullenly trudged back to where his trailer was parked and forced a cheerful smile on his face that seemed so alien and tiresome at this point. "I got trout!" he beamed at her, taking in her slumped shoulders as she blow-dried her hair. Finally confronting him by instigating eye-contact, Addison's eyes widened on their breakfast and ineloquently said, "Oh."

"Rainbow trout," he tried again with a charming smile. Unfortunately, Addison's scowl wasn't dissuaded by his futile attempt. "Why, _why_ did you bring a trout into the house?!" she demanded. He shot her a pointed stare at her odd word of choosing and turned his back on her in favor of stepping into the miniature kitchen as he started washing the trout over the sink. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Derek cleared his throat, "The _trailer_."

He heard her sigh in palpable annoyance from behind him, "Why did you bring a rainbow trout into the _trailer_?" Derek suppressed his own sigh of annoyance. Their marriage may be doomed, and the divorce was definitely inevitable, looming closer with each passing day, but that didn't mean he lost the skill of depicting the redhead's moods and her way of thinking. "Breakfast," he simply offered, and he wasn't disappointed with her response. In a deadpanned voice, Addison abruptly parroted, " _Breakfast._ "

"Yeah, you hungry?" Derek smiled at her. And just as he predicted, Addison's façade broke down, shattering into a million tiny pieces as she verbally portrayed her frustration at their situation. "I hate this Derek! I-"she tried storming up to him, but the blow dryer cord halted her and pulled her back, prompting her to nearly tumble backward onto the ground, "ARGH! I HATE this! I hate, _hate_ , hate… I HATE this trailer!" and without another word, she tossed the blow dryer onto the ground with an irate huff and slammed the bathroom door behind her, concluding her dramatic exit.

Drying his hands, Derek quipped, "So no trout for you."

Unbidden, his imagination conjured up Celia Chávez, her musical laughter that barely made an appearance, the rare moments where her emotionless eyes softened and shone with a myriad of emotions, but then, he unwittingly conjured up the incident that took place three weeks ago at Joe's bar; the way envy reared its ugly head and his heart clenched as he watched Celia leave the bathroom with some nameless man.

No, he couldn't do this anymore. He had to forget about her. Married or divorced, the Latina made it abundantly clear that not only didn't she trust him, but they would _never_ work out.

 **Put your past behind you and start over.**

 ****GA****

The favorite time of her day arrived. With a rare genuine smile, Cristina started scrubbing in for surgery, unable to contain her enthusiasm just as Burke walked in and handed over a scrub mask to which she accepted with a wider smile, a feat that had taken him back at the outward display of human emotions in his girlfriend's regular robotic façade.

"So, in the name of the new year-"

"Oh, I don't do resolutions," Cristina briskly interrupted him. Burke bottled-up his sigh of exasperation at the reappearance of Cristina's inhumane nature, and he ploughed onwards as though he hadn't been rudely interrupted, " _In the name of the New Year_ , I thought you could give me an answer to my question."

Nonplussed, Cristina frowned at him, "Your question?"

"About you… moving in," Burke knew she had purposely forgotten his offer. Cristina's frown grew more pronounced. Sighing, she looked away from her Attending/Boyfriend and concentrated on scrubbing in, "I don't have an answer."

Burke knew that arguing with Cristina would only produce a one-sided migraine, so he switched topics, "Then answer me this. What were you planning to do? The baby," he answered her inquiring gaze. Cristina clammed up, inwardly cursing Burke for his interrogating mood and she had never been more grateful than this very moment when one of the scrub nurses walked in and called for Burke.

Cristina squared her shoulders and followed him into the OR. She was adamant in postponing the accursed subject for as long as possible. Unfortunately, Burke had a stubborn streak, nearly identical to hers.

"I need my persons," she mumbled to herself.

 ****GA****

Celia and Meredith linked their arms together and tried locating Alex through the crowd that was gathering together for Chief Webber's speech. Finding him near the front at the base of the stairs, the two twisted sisters hurried over to his side before directing their full attention to the Chief.

"Listen up people. New Year, new rules or should I say, New Year and we will be enforcing the rules mandated by the residency review committee. There were too many mistakes made last year," hearing this, Alex hung his head in shame and Celia was only too quick to elbow him and flash him a supportive smile, "Fatigue played too big a role. Exceeding 80 hours per week will _not be_ tolerated," Richard boomed, his voice grave and solemn as he pierced the interns and residents with his intimidating stare.

"Does this mean we actually get to have a life?" Celia heard George whispering to Izzie from behind. Celia rolled her eyes and blocked Izzie's retort. If they wanted a life outside of work, then they should have thought of that before choosing a profession in medicine. _Particularly_ surgery!

"Sullivan, you were on-call for 28 hours, leave when you hit 30. Grey you were here to 2 am last night, see you at noon."

Meredith ecstatically embraced Celia and Alex before ditching them without another word. Celia and Alex stared at each other for a moment before shrugging in unison. Celia didn't share Mer's exuberance the least bit; the hospital and surgery was her life, and it was all she had going for her, the only thing that kept her from getting out of bed and moving on. Surgery was therapeutic for Celia Chávez.

The Latina tuned out as her godfather began a diatribe concerning the nurses – no offense to them, but to be blunt and crass, Celia didn't give two shits about the gossipmongers and scandalmongers of Seattle Grace; she couldn't find it in herself to respect or care about the nurses, not when they live to gossip, _especially_ about her private life.

"You know what?" Izzie beamed at Alex, who was shocked to be in the receiving end of the chipper blonde's vibrant smile, "My New Year's resolution was to let it go, and I am. I have … let it go. I apologize."

In sync, George and Celia gaped at the blonde, " _You do_?" In all honesty, Celia thought that Izzie would hold her grudge over the fact that Alex banged syph-nurse while dating her, to the grave. Izzie nodded, "I do. So … How was your test?"

Alex smirked and accepted Celia's offer to link arms, "I feel pretty good about it, but I won't know for a few days." Izzie nodded benignly, "Well we're all pulling for you."

"We are?" George dumbly inquired, immediately receiving a harsh cuff to his head from the scowling Latina, which impelled him to backtrack. "Ye-yes, we are. Pulling for you that is," he stuttered, eyeing Celia with trepidation. Izzie turned to stare at Celia with a shitload of curiosity – she was like a damn dog with a bone. "So, Celia… you never said what your New Year's resolution is."

In the blink of an eye, Celia's expression went blank and she glanced at Izzie with a flinty stare, "For justice to be served."

"Justice, what?- _Oomph_!" Izzie rubbed her side and glared accusingly at Alex who unapologetically scowled at her. "It's none of our business. Leave it alone," he hissed, and on cue, Bailey approached them and wordlessly had them follow her for the start of rounds. Celia ignored the curious and inquiring stares burning her back from Blondie and Puppy as she donned her professional mask and obediently followed Bailey with Alex staunchly by her side.

Bailey's coffee colored orbs briefly skimmed the chart in her hand and made a right turn, entering the first patient's room, "Denny Duquette."

Denny was an attractive man with a rugged appearance and a kind disposition that Celia identified off the bat. He had brown hair and soft brown eyes that crinkled warmly at Bailey when he smiled, showing off his dimples, "Hey Dr. Bailey." He had a husky and jovial voice for a heart transplant patient, and unwittingly, he managed to earn Celia's respect.

"I hope seeing you here means that they finally found you a heart," Bailey sternly narrowed her eyes at him, but there was an undertone that spoke volumes of mild favoritism. Denny grinned at her, his eyes twinkling with mirth, "No offense doctor but I'm not a big fan of hospitals. It takes something pretty special to get me in here." The Latina wasn't quick in hiding her snort of laughter – so the guy had a sense of humor despite his morbid predicament. Props to him. Bailey shot her a harsh glare while Denny offered her a wink.

Withdrawing her glare, Bailey addressed Izzie, "What do we know about Mr. Duquette?" but before Blondie could respond, a charming smile materialized on Denny's face and he cut in, "Capricorn, single, loves to travel and cook." Not wanting to be the subject of the Nazi's ire twice in a mere minute, Celia smacked a hand onto her mouth and hid her amused smile. Bailey shook her head fondly, "Denny be quiet. Let her show off."

Izzie looked down and covered her smile behind Denny's chart, "Denny Duquette, 36. Admitted today for a heart transplant necessitated by a viral-cardiomyopathy."

Bailey hummed in approval and narrowed her glare at the Latina, "Chávez, what does that mean?"

Straightening her posture and eviscerating the amused smile from her face, she met the Nazi's challenge head on and impassively replied, "That his heart is unable to fill and pump blood normally."

"Good." Bailey nodded, releasing the Latina from her glare. Initially, prior to the beginning of rounds, Bailey had been planning on assigning Denny Duquette to Stevens. However, the patient had barely been introduced and already, she could see that Stevens was growing attached to him, escalating when Denny mildly flirted with her. "Denny, this is Dr. Stevens and Dr. Chávez. They'll be tending to your private surgery," she curtly announced. Hopefully, having the abrasive and professional Latina tending to the patient alongside the compassionate blonde will halt any further attachments in the long run.

A devilish grin materialized on Denny's handsome visage, "So I guess I'll be seeing you around, Dr. Stevens." He then turned to the amused Latina and smiled benignly, "Dr. Chávez."

The second they departed his room and waited for Bailey who remained behind to check on Denny's wellbeing, Alex let out an aggravated snarl, "Gotta hand it to the guy, trying to get some action when he's practically a corpse." Celia rolled her eyes, not taking Alex's caustic words to heart – it was obvious her fellow twisted friend was jealous and therefore, shooting his mouth off. Izzie gaped at him in horror, appalled beyond belief, "Alex, he's just trying to be _nice_!"

Celia scoffed rudely, interrupting what looked to be the beginning of a full-scale argument, "Oh please. The guy obviously has a taste for leggy blondes. He was totally turning on his charm whenever he spoke to you, Izzie. Don't waste your breath denying it. Just be flattered and _move_ _on_." Izzie's horror-struck expression traveled to Celia's frigid visage, but before she could come up with a smart or defensive retort, Bailey walked out of Denny's room and started marching down the hallway.

Wordlessly, Celia, Alex, Izzie and George stared at each other for a brief moment before running after her; they wouldn't easily forget one of the Nazi's five rules, one of them clearly stating: _When I move, you move_.

Without turning around, Bailey started grumbling irately, loud enough for the four interns to hear clearly, "No one enforced an 80 hour work week when I was an intern. 110, 120 hours suited me _just fine_. I learned more because I worked more."

A genuine smile tugged at the Latina's lips – Bailey and her were really alike.

"Well, at least this way you get a rest before you have the baby. I mean, being that pregnant, keeping up this pace…"George awkwardly drifted off at the incredulous look on Celia's face, coupled with the Nazi's terrifying glare. Halting in her determined footsteps, Bailey placed both hands firmly on her hips and glared up at George, and despite the notable height differences, Bailey had an uncanny resemblance to Godzilla. "Are you saying I look tired O'Malley?"

"He really should learn before opening that mouth of his," Celia murmured into an entertained Alex's ears. Cutting off George's foolish stammering, Bailey barked, "O'Malley, go do an intake on Addison Shepherd's patient. _Now_!"

Giving a shot at kissing her ass, Izzie beamed, "You do glow!"

"Like the moon," Alex dryly commented. Arching an eyebrow at him, Bailey smirked menacingly, "And you can spend the day in the pit, Karev." Groaning, Alex squeezed Celia's shoulder and parted, leaving her alone with Izzie and the Nazi. "Well? Don't you have a patient to look after? Move, move, _move_!"

She didn't need to tell them twice. Damn pregnancy hormones – not only was Bailey suffering from them, but in extent, so were her six interns. Suffice to say, a celebration would definitely be taking place once Bailey popped out her little terror that was slowly becoming the bane of the hospital's existence, simply due to its effect of Bailey.

 ****GA****

Ever since he discovered that Ellis Grey was suffering from Alzheimer's, Richard made it a point to visit her regularly. He loved Adele, but Ellis had also captured a chunk of his heart and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't stay away from her… it was a hopeless case. With Celia and Meredith being in constant proximity to him, Richard couldn't help but travel down memory lane, back to the good old days, which only worsened due to the fact that Meredith was the spitting image of his Ellis.

Ellis needed a certified neurosurgeon and Richard had an abundance of contacts throughout the decades due to his outstanding reputation and prominent position as Chief of Surgery; he knew two hotshot neurosurgeons, one was already at the top of the food chain and a renowned surgeon, the best of the best that he was in good relations with: Noah Chamberlain. Unfortunately, Noah had a full schedule and out of reach; despite that, Richard knew that Noah would drop everything in favor to him, especially due to Sophie's friendship with Ellis, but if Noah came to Seattle, there was a huge possibility that Sophie would and Richard didn't want to traumatize his goddaughter. Sophie's appearance would do more harm than good, especially shortly after Celia suffered through an episode.

For that reason, Richard spent the entire morning scoping the hospital for Derek Shepherd. The man was a Neuro-God and could do wonders with a scalpel, only second to Noah, which was an astounding feat in itself when it came to the vast age difference. Noah was in his mid-fifties, while Derek was in his mid-thirties; despite there being a twenty-year gap between them, Derek was already rising in surgery and renowned throughout the medical world.

"Derek!" just the man he was looking for. A casually dressed Derek stopped in his tracks and promptly put his phone away as he turned to smile sincerely at the Chief, "Morning, Richard."

"You busy?" he inquired, hoping for a negative. His prayers were instantly answered with the mere shake of the handsome Attending's head, "No, my surgery just got cancelled…"a small frown made an appearance on his forehead and he couldn't withhold his suspicions, "Why?"

And with that, Richard blurted out his need of a favor and toward the end, Derek seemed hesitant, "Derek, I'd call Noah Chamberlain if it makes you uncomfortable, but…" he squirmed uncomfortably, "But if I do, Celia's mother would refuse to stay behind and I don't want to traumatize her further. Having Sophie and Celia in the same room would be a disaster. Please. I'm not asking you as your boss and the Chief of Surgery. I'm asking you as a friend."

Suffice to say, Derek couldn't refuse his friend and ended up agreeing. Since his surgery was cancelled, he backtracked and made his way into the elevator. Stepping in, he met the bewildered faces of O'Malley and Stevens and dipped his head in acknowledgement before turning his back on them, leaving them to continue with their interrupted conversation.

"I say we confront Meredith and Celia again," Stevens hissed, her voice dropping an octave, "That _thing_ is a wild, _wild_ beast! I can't live like this anymore!" Derek acted nonchalant, his blue-blue eyes burning the closed doors of the elevator, but his curiosity waxed and he tried to mask the fact that he was shamelessly eavesdropping on their absorbed conversation. The second Celia's name was mentioned, he was undeniably hooked. O'Malley let out a strangled noise, and spoke in tremulous tones, "No way! I don't know about you but, Celia frightens me! This is _your_ fault! You insisted on getting Doc in the first place!"

Stevens huffed in offense and her retort came out as defensive, "Well _excuse me_ for needing a pick me up! Besides, how was I to know that she'd get so attached to Doc! I mean, she's only ever nice to Meredith, Alex and Cristina from what I have seen. Never in my wildest dream would I have _ever_ imagined her to form a quick bond with that hyena!" They paused in their argument, leaving Derek more intrigued than he should have been – he hoped to god that they weren't talking about a new future boyfriend for the abrasive Latina. Before the elevator stopped at their designated floor, O'Malley mused out loud, "You know… if you think about it, Doc seems to be emulating Celia's personality. It's like they were fated to meet-"

"O'Malley!" the aforementioned intern squeaked and jumped on his spot as he met the blazing green eyes of Addison just as the elevator doors promptly slid open. "I'm still waiting for Bex's scans." The two interns left the elevator, leaving Derek alone with his wife who turned to him with a weak smile, "Hi."

Derek smiled back at her. His smile however, turned to a frown upon noticing the ill expression on her face, "There is a land called 'passive-agressiva' and you are their queen."

"I am fine," Addison shrugged. He deftly hid his skepticism, "Except when you shriek about trout…"

Addison glared at him in indignation, "I was shrieking about the trailer. I _hate_ the trailer!"

Derek observed her stubborn stance and he let out an exasperated sigh, but decided to humor her for a while, "Oh okay, so the past three weeks have been about the trailer?" after receiving an unconvincing affirmative, Derek skipped over to the crux of the matter, "Not about the fact that I said I loved Celia?"

To his utmost bemusement, Addison let out a bark of scorned laughter, " _Love_! You keep insisting that you _loved_ her – past tense, but you and I both know that you _still_ love her. You can keep denying it Derek. You can lie to yourself, but I _know_ you, and no matter how much you deny your true feelings, I. Know. You. And it's obvious that you _still_ love her. And until you admit your true feelings to yourself, we won't be able to move on and save our crumbling marriage." Derek was rendered speechless, his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of the water, and with a sympathetic smile, Addison stepped out of the elevator, leaving Derek alone to mull over her words and continue denying the irrevocable love he felt for the abrasive and emotionless Latina.

 ****GA****

Celia had always prided herself on her ability to get a read on people and her uncanny deduction skills. To an outsider's point of view, Celia looked like the perfect specimen of the female gender – she was gorgeous, had the body of a model with an hourglass figure and well-endowed breasts and ass due to her Latina heritage, and if that weren't enough, she had astounding perception and a sharp mind; she graduated top of her class at Dartmouth and was, for an intern, a progeny in medicine with nimble hands for surgery. Unfortunately, looks could be deceiving, and Celia Chávez had a dark, tattered soul and an atrocious personality to 99% of the human race. Her looks and her body weren't an important factor and was a mere blip of her radar. No, Celia's pride was her intelligence and her talents, and she put it to good use _every single day_.

And that was how she immediately caught on to Bailey's true intention. George absently informed her that Addison Montgomery-Shepherd initially asked for her to be on her service, probably to continue tormenting her over the fact that she screwed her husband, never mind the fact that she _didn't have an inkling_ regarding his marriage status. Bailey however, assigned her to Denny Duquette to work alongside Dr. Chipper Model. Due to her sharp mind, uncanny perception and adroit deduction skills, Celia discovered that her task explicitly was to _babysit Izzie_!

She's a freaking surgeon! Okay, an intern… but same thing! She was no babysitter!

But of course, Izzie had a disgusting habit of getting attached to her patients, and naturally, her caustic and abrasive personality was a godsend to the Nazi and she was adamant that Celia put it to good use. So currently, Celia Chávez stormed through the hallway, looking like, for all intents and purposes, a harpy on a mission as she hunted the hospital for Bailey. She respected the Nazi wholeheartedly and understood the whole food chain status, accepting the fact that she was a grunt and a nobody, but she put a _thick red line_ when it came to babysitting somebody she could barely stand on her better days, let alone her worst!

After an hour of no results, Celia was left with no choice but to retrace her steps to Denny's room and fulfill her duty – much to her irate annoyance. Closing the distance to Denny's room, she froze in place upon hearing Izzie's loud laughter permeating the air and she grinded her teeth together in fury as she inched closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Can I ask you something personal?" Good Lord! Celia facepalmed herself upon hearing Izzie respond with a flirtatious: _If I say no_. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes in defeat as Denny spoke up, "I'll hold my breath which will stop my heart, killing me. You're right here, you'll be charged with murder. Lifetime in prison loved by a big old girl name Hilde."

Against her wishes, Celia smiled fondly. Denny had a certain charm about him, and it was hard to refuse him, but in no certain terms did that mean Izzie should get attached to him. He's a heart transplant patient, meaning he had a low chance of survival, and Blondie should be smart and keep her distance!

"So my choices are homicide charges or inappropriate personal questions from a patient?" was Izzie's coy response. After remaining unseen listening in to their playful banter, Celia's eyes widened when Denny finally asked the question – if Alex and Izzie were together! Deciding enough was enough, Celia forced an amicable smile onto her visage and sauntered inside, "Izzie! Bailey's asking for you."

Izzie resembled a deer caught in the headlights and after parting Denny with a bright smile, she scampered out of the room. Celia inwardly rolled her eyes, positive that Bailey would have caught on to Celia's intent and make something up for Izzie to busy herself with for the time being.

"Dr. Bailey isn't really asking for her, is she?" Looking up, she found herself facing an amused Denny who had easily seen through her lie. Celia sighed and ran a hand through her locks, "Look Mr. Duquette, I am an intern with ambition. I'm cutthroat and I will do anything to achieve my dreams. Now, if you chanced a gander through my CV, you wouldn't see babysitter _anywhere_ on that list. Unfortunately, Dr. Stevens has a nasty habit of getting attached to nearly every single patient that walks through the halls of Seattle Grace and since I am, to put it bluntly, a professional, and hardcore and basically an unfriendly bitch to boot, I was sneakily tasked with the job of babysitting Dr. Stevens. I don't know what your true intentions are in regards to her, but… for the sake of all that is holy, maintain a strictly doctor-patient relationship with her, otherwise we will all end up with nasty results."

Denny remained silent at the end of Celia's speech which she was immensely grateful for. Ten minutes later, she finished checking his vitals, but just as she pivoted around to leave, his genuine statement halted her in her tracks.

"What if I told you that I actually care about her?"

Turning to look at Denny from behind her shoulder, Celia felt her face melt into one of unmitigated sympathy, "As your surgeon, I'd tell you to nip it in the bud. But…" she gave him a long solemn glare, uncaring over her unprofessional behavior, "What I'm about to tell you stays between us, because I swear to G.O.D, if you tell anyone, _especially_ Blondie, I'll deny it to my last breath!" Denny chuckled in response and patiently waited for her to resume her speech, " _But_ as someone who cares about Izzie's wellbeing, despite my many efforts not to," she mumbled beneath her breath, "I'd tell you to pursue her _AFTER_ you get discharged from the hospital."

Denny smirked at her retreating back. Naturally, he heard all the many scandalous rumors about the spunky Latina… how could he not with all the nurses passing by? Denny Duquette disagreed with the rumor mill… Celia Chávez did indeed have a heart – a whole and a pure one, and he was given rare permission to witness her true nature, the one she concealed behind a vitriolic attitude and her Cruella De Vil persona. And for some reason, he felt honored.

 ****GA****

Meredith was given a reprieve from the hospital and the first thing that came to mind was to visit her mother at the nursing home. A part of her enjoyed spending time with her mother due to the fact that she was more tolerable in her forgetful state, and yeah, she did feel like the worst daughter in the world for admitting that to herself.

Greeting Nurse Linda, Meredith was perplexed with the odd greeting she received in return. Why would _visitors_ cheer her up? She was the only person to ever visit her mother… heck, even _Celia of all people_ couldn't stomach being in the same room as Ellis Grey – not that she blamed her.

Entering her mother's room, her jaw dropped in unadulterated shock at the scene that met her eyes. Derek Shepherd – HER BOSS – was amicably drinking a cup of tea while conversing with a semi-lucid Ellis Grey.

 _What the hell?_

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. At this moment, he wasn't her boss, he was a usual Joe butting into her private affairs, and she didn't care a lick about maintaining a respectful disposition. Derek sighed audibly and politely excused himself to Ellis before wordlessly informing her to follow him outside. This was exactly why he had been hesitant, because he knew Grey wouldn't approve. Staring at her with solemn eyes, Derek cut to the chase, "There is a clinical trial to study the progression of early onset Alzheimer's."

"Okay… so is this a plot to gain favor with Celia so you can continue screwing around with her?" Meredith fumed, her green orbs ablaze, portraying the beginning of her famous fiery temper. Derek's entire posture stiffened and he pinched the bridge of his nose to collect himself. Meredith Grey had a right to be angry and he had to deal with the blows as they come for Richard's sake, "Look, Meredith, this has _nothing_ to do with Celia. I'm merely here as a favor to a friend, that's all. I was… hesitant in coming out here, but it was either I do, or Noah Chamberlain."

Meredith angrily shook her head and continued, "My mother is very sick and has very few good days, and I don't want her being _poked_ and _prodded_ for some experimental progr… _am_ ," she clamped her jaw shut and silently stared into Derek's blue-blue eyes, suddenly acknowledging his previous words, "Noah? Oh no. No, no-no-no, _no_! Noah can _not_ come down here! If he does then the She-Devil will tag along and…" Derek watched in mild amusement as Celia's best friend huffed and blew a strand of dirty-blond strands away from her face before smacking a hand to her forehead, "The Chief sent you, didn't he?"

"What made you come to that conclusion?" Derek smiled in interest. She simply rolled her eyes in annoyance, "There's only one person in Seattle that cares for both my mom, and my best friend. The Chief. Also, you're close with him, therefore, the Chief sent you. He's the only common factor." Meredith let out a sigh of exasperation and mulled over the current situation. Derek smartly remained silent and allowed her to process her thoughts and a minute later, she scrutinized him intensely, "Alright. I guess there's no harm in allowing you to evaluate my mother."

Derek nodded and the next words to come out of his mouth was sincere, "I just want to help. That's all. No secret agenda, nothing."

Meredith sent him a diminutive smile, "I believe you."

Derek's hand paused by the doorknob and he turned to face Meredith with a curious expression, "Forgive me for asking but- … who is Doc?"

Meredith's smile widened and she genuinely chuckled at him. It was obvious that Derek arrived to the conclusion that Doc was a new man in Celia's life and he was masking his jealousy and uncertainty behind genuine curiosity, "Doc is our dog. He started off as mine and Izzie's, but he now belongs to me and CeCe."

Derek could have kicked himself for jumping to conclusions, but he could finally make sense to Stevens and O'Malley's conversation, and he couldn't help but wholeheartedly agree with them. Celia Chávez attached to a dog was plainly alien behavior.

 ****GA****

Izzie was confused. Ever since Celia basically kicked her out of the room and sent her to Bailey who had her doing menial tasks, Denny had been aloof with her. He barely instigated eye contact with her, he stopped with his subtle – okay, not so subtle – flirting, and he seemed to have formed some sort of quick bond or understanding with Celia… _Cruella De Vil for Christ's sake!_

Currently, Izzie and Celia were standing on either side of Dr. Burke in the pre-op room where they were all waiting for Denny's heart to arrive. For the third time, Denny impatiently asked, "Are we a go Doc?"

"Still no final word. I want you to have the healthiest heart I can find," Burke informed him with a kind smile. Denny beamed at Izzie before his eyes traveled to an impassive Celia, "Dr. Chávez, you'll be in there with us right?" He already knew that Izzie Stevens would be inside with him, but for some reason, Dr. Chávez's presence was comforting to him. In the short amount of time since he made her acquaintance, Celia Chávez had somehow become Denny's rock.

In unison, Burke and Izzie gaped, gobsmacked at the scene and their shock only surmounted when Celia's stern expression melted into frank tenderness, "If Dr. Burke doesn't oppose of my presence, then yes, I'll be in there with you," she smiled. Recovering from his shock, Burke cleared his throat and nodded his head, unable to refrain himself from sending a confused glance at the stark change in his intern's usual demeanor, "I'll need all hands on deck. Both Dr. Stevens and Dr. Chávez will be present in the OR, you have nothing to worry about, Mr. Duquette."

The second they closed up Denny after the successful surgery, Izzie grabbed Celia's wrist and roughly yanked her around to face her, "What did you say to him?" she demanded in an angered tone. In her fury, she failed to notice that Dr. Burke stood nearby, washing up after the surgery and was currently staring at them with blatant curiosity. Celia's eyes hardened and she ripped her limbs from Izzie's hold, "Do. NOT. Manhandle me Izzie!"

"I'm not an idiot, Celia! You think I wouldn't figure it out? When you kicked me out of the room, his whole attitude changed whenever I'm in the room with hi-"

"Okay! _Enough_!" Celia snapped, hurling her gloves into the trash, "You know at the start of our internship, I judged you, did you know that? Cristina bet that you'd fail because you modeled lingerie. Heck, even Alex tormented you at the start because he didn't think you had what it takes to be a cutthroat surgeon! Me on the other hand, I had my reservations about you because you're too fucking chipper, and annoying and, and… and because you take everything so god-damn personal. We're surgeons, Izzie! _Surgeons_! But you masquerade around like a shrink! We're not supposed to get attached to our patients, we're supposed to cut and heal and offer them our support. I'm not saying that we should be closed-off with them, I'm saying you should be professional, and you sorely lack that! You're not here to make friends and create bonds with them. Not every single patient will live past their surgery, and if you want to survive your internship and actually reach residency, then you have to know your limits. And I'm sorry, but if you continue this way, then you're going to sink and get kicked out of the program!"

Izzie recoiled backward as though Celia slapped her, but she still had the courage to part her lips and weakly utter, "I'm sorry you feel that way. I guess I'm going to have to prove you wrong."

Celia snorted in a derisive manner, "It's not just me you'll have to prove it to, honey. This isn't trial and error. If you fail, a patient dies, simply put. Do you know that Bailey assigned me to Dr. Burke's service with the intention of me babysitting you?! Don't get me wrong, I am honored to have been on Burke's service and be involved in a heart transplant surgery, but do you know how insulting it is, how _demeaning_ to a person of my caliber, to be tasked with babysitting you because you are famous for forming attachments with your patients? I'm a professional, and you're simply a fucking joke! So grow the hell up and learn from your mistakes, because you'll crash and burn one day if you keep it up. Take it as a friendly advice," Celia sneered as she concluded her speech.

Unable to suppress her tears, Izzie ran out of the room in search for an on-call room. Burke cleared his throat, an indecipherable emotion passing through his eyes as they bore deep into Celia's soul. Rubbing her eyes wearily, Celia sighed, "I apologize for my unbecoming behavior Dr. Burke."

"While I agree with your assessment, Dr. Chávez, I would have been less blunt and more compassionate about it," was all he parted her with before he too, left the room. He could definitely see why Cristina had a close friendship with the Latina… they were both cut from the same cloth. However, Chávez had a cruder streak, and unlike Cristina, her soul was tainted and presumably, it was chalked up to an extremely dark past.

 ****GA****

"Dr. Shepherd?"

Vehemently taken aback, Derek failed in hiding the surprise that crossed his face over the fact that Celia was instigating some sort of conversation with him. "Yes, Dr. Chávez?"

 **Who gets to determine when the old ends and the new begins?**

Celia felt a pang in her heart in response to his formality, which was absurd since she had been demanding a professional relationship with him since the start of her internship. Ignoring her pain, Celia met his entrancing blue-blue eyes and burst into speech, "I just wanted to say thank you for what you did today."

And the penny dropped. Derek shook his head, refuting her gratitude, "I didn't do it for you. It was a favor to Chief Webber." He inwardly winced at his sharp response and while Celia was affected by his detached manner, she hid it deftly and smiled awkwardly, "I know. I'm not self-absorbed to think you had Ellis entered into the clinical trial for my sake. But all the same, you have my thanks… if you didn't take the case, then my step-father would have and unfortunately, my mother would end up in Seattle. So… Thank you Dr. Shepherd."

 **It's not a day on a calendar. Not a birthday, not a new year.**

At that moment, she could see Addison approaching them from the peripheral of her vision, and she hastened to leave, "Have a good night, Dr. Shepherd."

"What was that all about?" Addison waspishly inquired, unable to help but glare at the gorgeous Latina's retreating back until she disappeared from her line of vision. Derek absently shook his head, "Nothing you need to be concerned about, Addison."

He hated the fact that he lost all composure and that Celia still managed to affect him with just a few simple words.

 **It's an event, big or small, something that changes us.**

Was Addison right? Was he still in love with her? _God, he hoped not_ …

 **Ideally, it gives us hope.**

 ****GA****

Bailey's words were like a mantra, constantly resonating in the recess of her mind.

" _My husband and I… we tried for years but still when that stick turned blue… Well you can't work the way we work, you can't want the kind of careers that we want and not take pause. I took pause… I sat up one night. Middle of the night… and I knew I could do this… I still don't know how I'm gonna do this, but… I knew I could do it. You just have to know and when you don't know then no one can fault you for it. You do what you can, when you can, while you can. And when you can't, you can't._ "

 **A new way of living and looking at the world… Letting go of old habits, old memories.**

"I wasn't gonna have it-"

Burke stood up in an instant from where he had been sitting on the bench in front of the hospital, waiting for Cristina, mulling over a better way to encourage her into answering his previous questions she had been stubbornly avoiding. He didn't expect Cristina to come to him by herself, without anyone urging her to.

"The baby," Cristina slowly drew out, closing the distance between them, her onyx orbs suddenly intense as she assembled her thoughts together, "And you don't get to be mad about that, we _barely knew each other._ I was an intern and there was no way I could even…"she huffed and looked away, not knowing how to convince him and perceive the situation from _her_ perspective.

"I'm not mad," he assured her, eyes portraying nothing but candidness. Cristina appraised him in shock, trying to gauge out if he was being honest or simply placating her, "You're not?"

"No," he shook his head, "I just wanted to know. I wanna know things."

 **What's important is that we never stop believing, we can have a new beginning.**

Cristina nodded, a small smile materializing on her impassive face and slowly, she interlaced her fingers with his.

 **But it's also important to remember that amid all the crap are a few things really worth holding on to.**

 **A/N:** **Whew! I hope this chapter was to your liking? XD**

 **(1)There wasn't much Celia scenes in this chapter… the point of this chapter was to start introducing the other characters, especially the important ones, such as Meredith, Derek and Cristina, since I have been focusing a lot of Celia. Although she is the main character of this story, I decided to portray others for this chapter before we get to the important future chapters. (2) Honestly, this chapter was more of a … filler chapter. A part of me wanted to skip it, but I decided not to as every chapter counts and even filler chapters are important. (3) Did you like the Denny/Celia bonding? This chapter was crucial due to the introduction of Denny Duquette… and no, for whoever jumped to a certain conclusion, Celia and Denny are NOT gonna end up together, but their bond is important to Season Two of Grey's Anatomy. (4) I'm sorry for the brief DELIA scene… I couldn't add more to them as they are taking a hiatus for now. But DELIA fans out there, do not worry, we are nearing the end of their awkwardness, just a few more chapters to go. (5) I already said that the road to Delia is a slow-burn, so you're gonna have to be extra patient. Things won't be happening like MerDer in Canon, so I do apologize beforehand for the long wait, I am not going to change Celia's personality. (6) BTW, Celia's New Year's resolution is important, so keep it in mind… it'll make sense later! XD (7) And lastly, the bomb episode is not far away. Just two more episodes and then shit hits the fan! LOL! ;)**

 **R &R.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 23:**

The gallery was vacant, aside for Meredith Grey, who stood by herself, forehead flush against the glass and her striking green eyes absorbed in the surgery Dr. Shepherd was currently performing. However, in a rare turn of the norm, Meredith wasn't interested in the surgical aspects of the procedure, _believe it or not_ ; with her eyes, the twisted intern impatiently willed Dr. Shepherd to put down the scalpel, close up the patient and quickly draw Meredith's blood for her mother's clinical trial.

It wasn't that Meredith wasn't grateful to Derek Shepherd, not only because he was taking the time to help her mother out, but because if he hadn't accepted the mantle from Chief Webber, then Noah would, probably shadowed by the She-Devil, something _nobody_ wanted; Meredith was _tremendously_ grateful to the Attending, it was all simply bad timing, and her twisted sister, no matter how much she denied it, and put up a strong front, needed her today out of _all_ days.

The abrupt arrival of Cristina interrupted an onslaught of morbid thoughts starring Celia and she turned her head a fraction of an inch, offering the Korean intern a wry smile, "Why aren't you prepping for rounds and stealing all the good cases?" In response, she received a deadpanned stare and Cristina instantly parroted her inquiry, "Well, why aren't _you_ prepping for rounds and stealing all the good cases?"

Meredith simply shrugged, her gaze returning to the OR, "No reason."

"No reason?" Cristina replied, her expression skeptical and her tone incredulous, not believing the dirty blonde for a second.

 **As doctors we're trained to be skeptical because our patients lie to us all the time. The rule is:** _ **every**_ **patient is a liar until proven honest.**

Huffing, Cristina sat next to Meredith and waited for the inevitable reply, and she wasn't disappointed. "I'm waiting for McDreamy," Meredith vaguely offered. Satisfied, the Korean let Meredith in on her reason, "I'm avoiding Burke." Noting the inquisitive look, she revealed, "He thinks I'm moving in with him. Why are you waiting-"

"McDreamy is doing me a favor," Meredith interrupted, more interested in Cristina's dilemma, "Burke thinks you moved in with him? "However, the Korean intern wasn't easily distracted and couldn't be fooled by Meredith's tactics in changing the topic and she leveled her with a judgmental stare, "Hold up. You're calling him _McDreamy_ again? What happened to him being Mc _Ass_?! I didn't think you out of all people would easily forgive him for what he did to Celia." the Korean shook her head in visible disappointment.

Meredith bit her lower lip; truth was, the certain moniker unconsciously came out. In under no terms did Meredith forgive _or_ forget what Derek Shepherd reduced her best friend into, but with him doing her a favor, Celia incessantly discouraged her from treating the Attending like a pariah, claiming that he was _still_ their boss, and that Meredith shouldn't make an enemy out of him for her sake.

Blue-blue eyes flickered toward the direction of the gallery, motioning for Meredith that the operation had reached its conclusion. Standing up and ignoring the obvious disapproval her person was currently fixating her with, Meredith turned to her, eyes beseeching Cristina to comply, "Look, just do me a favor. Can you go check on Celia for me? She's probably in the locker room." and not giving the hardcore intern a moment to satiate her curiosity, she fled from the vicinity.

"What the hell just happened?" Cristina murmured to herself, shrewd onyx orbs burning a hole into the gorgeous Attending's back. Shrugging, the Korean intern complied and trekked over to the locker room, and was instantly met with the sickening sound of somebody retching echoing from within the bathroom. Perplexed, Cristina rushed inside, only to transparently gape at the scene that met her eyes. One of the cubicle doors had been left ajar, and was currently inhabited by a slightly clammy Celia who was knelt by the toilet, face down, and Alex, crouching beside the Latina while holding her hair up, his face drawn in consternation.

Not bothering with any niceties, Cristina was blunt and to the point, "Are you hung-over?"

Celia groaned, rubbing Alex's hand in thanks before flushing the toilet. "No. I'm fine," she curly replied, ambling toward the sink and slapping toothpaste onto her toothbrush. Alex and Cristina traded looks of utmost disbelief, something Celia caught in the mirror and proceeded to stubbornly ignore as she roughly eradicated the nauseating taste of bile.

 **Lying is bad... Or so we're told.** _ **Constantly**_ **from birth. Honesty is the best policy… The truth shall set you free. I chop down the cherry tree…**

 _ **Whatever**_ **.**

"You don't actually think we're buying that," Cristina stated; _what was with her persons today_? First Meredith, and now Celia?! Was it Outright- _lie_ -to-people's-faces Day or something, 'cause she didn't get the memo.

Leaning nonchalantly against a sink, Alex scoffed and shook his head, "Don't bother, Cristina. I've been asking Celia since she got here ten minutes ago. According to her, it's only a stomach bug, five minutes later, she changed her tune and claims it's just stress."

 **The fact is, lying is a necessity.**

"Hello!? _She_ is standing _right_ _here_!" Celia snapped her fingers, chocolate browns glaring coldly at her two friends; however, before the Latina could storm off, her face paled, and clapping a hand over her mouth, returned to the cubicle she had recently abandoned, and proceeded to puke her guts out.

Alex automatically tailed her, quickly pulling her hair back from her face. Cristina stood gobsmacked for a moment longer, mentally calculating something in peculiar before breathing out, "Holy shit! Are you-are you _pregnant_?!"

" _NO_!" Celia venomously yelled in between retches, but going by the identical expressions coloring Alex and Cristina's face, they didn't believe the frigid Latina… not even for a fraction of a second.

 **We lie to ourselves because the truth, the truth freaking hurts…**

 ****GA****

Leaving Derek behind in the trauma room, Meredith breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Celia appeared to be relatively fine, although distinctly ruffled, shooting glares to Cristina and Alex every once in a while. Icy brown eyes lit up in relief upon seeing her fellow twisted sister, and wasted no time in linking arms with Meredith, shooting her a 'help me!' look. Obediently, Meredith pierced Cristina with an inquiring gaze, "Burke thinks you moved in with him? What does that mean?"

Sparing Celia one last suspicious glance, Cristina dismissively waved a hand, "Ok it's not important. You're calling Derek, Mc _Dreamy_ again."

Alex gaped at the dirty-blonde, "You're calling Mc _Ass_ , Mc _Dreamy_?" belatedly realizing he sounded like a gossiping chick.

"Ugh, big deal you two. McDreamy, McAss, McWhy, McWhat, McWho-Gives-A-McShit!" Celia unemotionally spat out, "It's time we flip over the chapter, and move the hell on!" Silence met the Latina's words; Meredith smirked smugly at Cristina, but before she or Alex could come up with a retort, an incessant banging noise infiltrated their hearing.

In unison, the four dark and twisted interns pivoted around and looked over the railing of the mezzanine, eyes narrowing in on the perpetrator: George. Izzie stood beside him, an indignant look on her face and her arms crossed, holding a leash with Doc on it. "Cujo has to go!" George yelled as an explanation. Celia and Meredith gaped at each other before making their way to the locker room, Cristina and Alex hot on their heels.

The moment the twisted sisters barged in, Doc barked happily and pounced on them, ecstatically wagging his tail. Patting his head fondly, Celia leveled the two interns with a cold glare, "What the hell you two! You cannot bring a dog into the hospital! What were you _thinking_?" How the hell did Blondie and Bambi get into med school in the first place?! …no _scratch that_ … what the hell was Uncle Richard thinking when he allowed those two idiots a spot in the program?!

"He _peed_ on my bed. _My bed_ , Celia!" Izzie retorted instead, her usually soft brown eyes blazing with fury and her expression frazzled. Meredith defensively argued Doc's case, "He's _our_ dog!" as though that simple fact would change the two simpleton's minds. George however, was quick to shake his head in adamant denial, "No, he's not _my_ dog! You and Izzie bought him, without even asking me!"

"And he disowned me," Izzie fervently argued their case, "That-that _hyena_ disowned me!"

Meredith pouted, stubbornly crossing her arms while urging Celia to speak up for Doc, "We rescued him from _certain_ death. Come on you guys!"

"I'm putting my foot down. Either the dog moves out or I do," George snapped, trying and failing to sound commanding. "Foot. Down. Now. Me or the dog, which is it?" Meredith palpably hesitated, prompting Alex and Cristina to muffle their laughter at the expression of unadulterated shock displayed on George's face, while Izzie merely looked offended. "You hesitated! She hesitated!" Puppy gasped, eyes widening in the perfect replica of Bambi's when his mother died.

Izzie added in her two cents, once again stating the obvious, "You hesitated!"

"I didn't-I didn't _hesitate_ , I was _thinking_ ," Meredith weakly defended. Having had enough of their histrionics, Celia cut into what looked to be another pathetic tirade from George. "Okay, listen up, you two, 'cause I'm not gonna repeat myself! Once upon a time, you two were strays, and unfortunately," she groused out shooting Meredith an accusing glare, "We took you in-"

"I," Meredith corrected, " _I_ took you in."

Celia brusquely nodded, acknowledging Meredith's claim, " _Meredith_ took you in. And _newsflash_! I. _Didn't_. Want. To. I argued and fought against it, but in the end, I lost. And guess what?" Celia sneered at the two chastised interns, both of whom were recoiling due to finding themselves, once again, on the receiving end of the terrifying Latina's wrath, "You two are annoying! You Dr. Model, you're so bright and cheerful. Every morning you're so chipper and perky and I risk getting an aneurysm just by listening to your nonstop rambling about things I don't even give two shits about. And you Bambi, all you do is whine and complain and _judge_ Mer and I for every little thing we do. We're not teenagers sneaking around with boyfriends that our parents disapprove of. We're adults! And every time we bring a guy over, or say things or do things that you two don't approve of, you give us shit, _all the damn time_. Bottom line is, I learned to put up with you, despite the fact that all I want to do is toss your luggage out and be rid of you once and for all, but I don't. Again, I put up with you two chipper, irritating, and freakishly happy people! The least you two can fucking do, is _learn_ to put up with _OUR_ dog! Because, I'm warning you from now, for future reference, if you really want to put the ultimatum out there, Bambi, I'd pick the dog over you two in a heartbeat."

At the end of the Latina's cruel yet blatantly honest diatribe, the locker room was engulfed in utter silence; Izzie's eyes were _actually_ moist with tears, and George's face was frozen in shock, eyes widened and mouth agape. Meredith was adamantly averting eye contact, knowing that while Celia's words were too harsh, she made an excellent point. Cristina and Alex however, were enjoying the moment; they always looked forward to front row seats of the abrasive Latina putting Izzie and George in their place – or in Alex's case, just George.

"Tell me that is _not_ a dog!" Bailey's stern voice resonated from behind, interrupting the awkward silence and heavy tension that Celia doused them in. In perfect unison, the six interns intoned, " _It's not a dog_." Doc chose to bark at that moment, coinciding with Bailey's pager going off.

 ****GA****

Clustered outside the emergency double doors, Bailey and her six interns waited for the latest patient's appearance. They only had to wait a few minutes before the double doors swung open and a male patient was wheeled inside by the paramedics.

"Rick Freeark. 29," Tony the paramedic introduced, "Severed 3 fingers on his left hand. Controlled the bleeding in field. Vitals stable. Gave him 5 of morphine on the way in." Joining the paramedics in wheeling Rick in, Bailey inquired, "The fingers?"

Tony nodded, "Had some trouble retrieving them so we took off. Rich behind us found them. They're iced and ready to go. 10 minutes out."

Ordering them to continue with the IV fluids and start a course of antibiotics, Bailey ordered Cristina to wait outside for the fingers, and for Meredith to remain by Rick's side, assigning them to Rick's case. Once the remaining interns had scattered to their allocated patients for the day, Derek strode into the trauma room Rick was sequestered in, and smiled benignly at Meredith, before concentrating on his patient, examining what was left of his fingers. Five minutes later, Cristina entered the room with the three detached fingers in a towel. Upon noticing Derek in the room, the Korean intern inwardly fumed, masking her anger behind a blank expression.

"Well the cuts look clean. That's good," Derek explained, "Clean and severed makes reattachment easier. I'm not going to lie to you, if the surgery is successful; we're looking at a long recovery. Lots of physical therapy." Rick adopted a pained expression upon hearing the diagnosis; pain quickly morphed into panic at Derek's sudden inquiry, "You smoke?"

"Why?" Rick deflected.

Simultaneously, Meredith and Cristina rolled their eyes; the patient basically admitted he was a smoker. Derek seemed to have come to the same conclusion, "Cigarette smoke constricts the blood vessels. I've seen really good grafts fail over a few cigarettes."

Rick was full on panic mode, "So what are you saying? I, I smoke a cigarette after my operation and _boom_ my fingers fall off?" he was near hysterical, leading the Attending and the two surgical interns to believe that their patient was an addict. Speaking up for the first time since entering the room, Cristina curtly revealed, "No, first they turn black and necrotic and _then_ they fall off."

Derek smiled apologetically at Rick, who couldn't help but blanch at the gruesome picture Cristina painted. Rick's attempt at lying about him being a non-smoker failed drastically when the impassive Korean cut in, holding one of his detached fingers on display, " _Really_? Cause judging by the nicotine stains, your fingers do."

Rick looked down, his expression one of utter defeat.

 ****GA****

Over the moon at being assigned to Dr. Burke's service, Celia stubbornly ignored her nauseous belly, and stoically stood beside a middle aged woman who seemed creepily ecstatic for a patient being admitted into the hospital due to a deteriorating pig valve. No sooner had Burke stepped into the room, did Celia professionally read Mrs. Cline's chart, "Naomi Cline. 43. Had her tricuspid valve replaced 3 years ago with a porcine valve, sir."

Recognition dawned on Burke and he smiled genuinely at Mrs. Cline, "Ah, Naomi, surprised to see you back again so soon. Pig valve usually holds up 10 to 15 years. But yours seem to be degenerating a little too quickly for my comfort."

"Oh, heart valve, schmart valve," Naomi tittered excitedly, waving a hand as though she were whacking an irksome fly away, her voice turning up an octave into a shrilly nuance, prompting Celia to subtly hide a wince at the irritating patient – of course she'd get a hyperactive patient that seemed to be _worse_ that Izzie and George put together, much to her disbelief. "I got _married_ , Dr. Burke!" Naomi laughed, showcasing her wedding ring to the Attending and the intern. "I found him. My true love. My 'you jump, I jump'." Burke and Celia traded a bemused glance once Naomi asked if her wedding ring looked pretty, and without waiting for a response, ushered her husband to her side, "And look, look at that beautiful, _beautiful_ man. This is my Tom. My _beautiful_ Tommy."

In slow motion, the Attending and the intern turned around to get a better look at the middle aged, balding man who remained rooted on his spot by the door, radiating an awkward aura with a strained smile plastered on his face. Tom felt uncomfortable with the attention placed solely on him and he approached his high-spirited wife's side, "Heh. We, ah, we met in the grocery store."

"Oh, congratulations. It's so good to see you so happy Naomi," Burke finally uttered, his lips quirking into a small smile upon seeing the face-splitting smile on his patient's face, a far cry from her previous disposition three years ago. A grimace appeared on Celia's face as she watched Naomi's affectionate behavior with her husband, and she muttered to herself, "That's not exactly the word I'd use."

Having overheard her, Burke shot her a warning glance, just as Tom addressed them, "So Naomi's heart valve, what does it mean?"

"Well, there's an underlying cause for your wife's valve failure that remains undiagnosed. Theories, Chávez?" Burke abruptly quizzed. Firmly, Celia correctly answered, "Rheumatic fever, chronic use of migraine meds-"a loud, distinctive bark coming from the hallway interrupted her. Acting oblivious, the Latina determinedly continued, "-or IV narcotics could all cause valve disease, Dr. Burke." Celia refused to believe that woman wasn't on some sort of happy drug. _Nobody is that happy!_

With a bright smile that could put the sun to shame, Naomi said, "Oh I don't use drugs. Don't need them. I've got Tom, he's my drug. Aren't you, baby?" she looked up at him adorably. Okay, Celia was _officially_ weirded out by the disturbing display; Naomi Cline definitely put the term 'PDA' to shame.

The moment Burke and Celia departed the room, the impassive intern confidently voiced out her opinion, "She's high, Dr. Burke." Burke chuckled; he had correctly assumed the frigid friend of his equally frigid girlfriend would automatically arrive at that conclusion. "Or she's in love. She's happy," he postulated. But Celia wasn't having that, and she looked up at the Attending, an eyebrow arched in skepticism, "Nobody's that happy, Dr. Burke. _Nobody_. Especially someone about to have surgery done on their heart. I mean, even her husband was uncomfortable with her sunny disposition!"

Sighing, Burke admitted that the impassive woman made a decent point, "Run a tox screen, but Naomi doesn't strike me as a liar. If she says no drugs, then it's no drugs. You develop a sixth sense about these things."

Celia shrugged, " _Everybody's_ a liar _._ " Ignoring the little voice whispering in her ear: ' _including you_ ', the Latina suggested a different theory, "Or maybe she accidentally took something-"she was interrupted once again by a loud bark, but this time, Doc appeared in their line of vision, prompting Celia's eyes to widen and mentally curse George and Izzie for bringing the dog to the hospital.

Frowning at the dog in disbelief Burke turned to face Celia in unmitigated shock, "Dr. Chávez, is that a dog?"

All Celia could do was vehemently shake her head, "No."

 _Liar, liar, pants on fire_ , the same voice whispered.

 ****GA****

Leaving his patient's room, Derek's eyes narrowed in on Cristina as she exited the supply room, looking extremely shifty, her hand fumbling with something in her pocket. The moment she started walking down the hall, Derek approached her, "Yang, you were a little harsh in there."

Cristina was unaffected by the reprimand, "He was lying. Besides, your harsh is another man's refreshing." Derek pursed his lips into a thin line at the intern's emotionless tone and complete nonchalance. "Well he's in shock. The man's lost his fingers and his only remaining habit in one day. We need to be _compassionate_ ," he made sure to add emphasis to the word, staring pointedly at the intern, who halted in her steps to face the Attending, an upset look on her features, " _Compassionate_?"

"Yes. It's an emotion. Have you ever heard of it?" Derek snappishly demanded; really, Cristina and Celia deserved each other. Placing both hands on her hips, Cristina had the audacity to actually _sneer_ at her boss, "Oh, have you?!" shock was the main emotion on Derek's face, but the Korean intern adamantly pressed forward, "Unlike Meredith, I'm not as obliged to forget about how you treated Celia. So forgive me if I'm not inclined to take advice from _you_. I was just telling the patient the truth. So you might want to try it sometime!"

And Cristina stalked off, leaving Derek to gape after her retreating back. He didn't know whether he should be incensed at the intern's impudence, or feel guilty in regards to her accurate deduction, but Derek didn't wasn't able to process Cristina's words, for at that moment, the woman in question scurried past him, urgently storming into the bathroom looking worse for wear, quickly followed by retching sounds.

Hesitating by the bathroom door, Derek was of two minds about whether he should barge inside and show his concern over the Latina's current ailment, or stick to his decision and walk away. Before he could reach a verdict however, the door swung open, and a pale Celia materialized in front of him, face sickly pale. Her chocolate orbs widened upon finding herself a hairsbreadth away from the subject of her torment, and she subconsciously backed away from him. "Sorry, Dr. Shepherd," she tried sidestepping him, but Derek's next words froze her in her tracks, freezing more out of shock at the icy tone emanating from the benign man.

"Coming to work hung-over, Chávez?" Derek's bright blue eyes stonily glared back at her. Insulted that the Attending was jumping to the worst conclusion, hypocritically referring to her lack of professionalism, Celia scowled at him, "I'm not-"

"Save it. I don't want to hear any lies," Derek interjected, eyes blazing furiously, "Go fix yourself up before I bring it up with Bailey." and he walked away, his heart aching at the callous treatment he forced himself to treat the girl he was so entranced by, with.

"Kind of harsh, don't you think?" taken off guard, Derek squarely met Addison's gaze, prompting him to pause in his angry strides, "Addison, how long have you been standing there?"

Emerald eyes scrutinized her husband in confusion, the emotion consuming her upon seeing with her very own eyes the appalling behavior her husband was treating the woman he was denying of being in love with; it was extremely out of character for Derek to treat _anyone_ with such vitriol. "Oh, around the time Yang was concluding her winning speech…" she trailed off, studying the closed-off expression on her husband's face, "Talk to me, Derek. What's going on with you? You're not acting like yourself."

Derek arched an eyebrow, scornfully assessing his wife – the woman who had blown into his life and ruined all chances of happiness with the Latina that captured a piece of him, "And here I thought you'd be ecstatic." Taken aback, Addison parted her lips but Derek merely scoffed and left her by her lonesome, leaving Addison to ponder over Derek's dark side.

From the corner of the redhead's eyes, she witnessed the Latina retreat to the bathroom, her visage slightly green, and for a moment, the OB/GYN surgeon entertained a sudden notion of the intern being pregnant, before shaking her head and continuing to the destination of Bailey's room.

 ****GA****

Cristina and Alex made their way towards their regular table in the outdoor cafeteria, side by side, each of them carrying a tray with an unusually large pile of hotdogs. Setting their trays onto the table, the two dark interns sat beside each other, waiting for the last participant of their hotdog eating contest, and the self-appointed referee.

"So," Cristina eyed her person shrewdly, "You planning on opening that envelope any time soon?"

After rounds, the Chief presented Alex with an envelope containing the results of his medical board exam. Since then, he had been carrying it around like an extension of himself, postponing the inevitable in fear he had failed. Sheepishly tucking it away, Alex simply said, "I'll open it. Just… not now."

Noticing their two bright and shiny co-interns heading straight towards them, Cristina released Alex from her knowing gaze. "Now, later, tomorrow, it makes no difference. The results won't change. But," in an uncharacteristically soft tone, she whispered, "If it's any consolation, I don't think you've anything to worry about." Alex nudged her in gratitude as George enthusiastically slammed his tray on the table, seating himself in front of Alex while Izzie sat beside him.

"Oh good, you didn't start without me," George sighed in relief. Narrowing his eyes on Izzie, who had yet to take her eyes off a suspicious paper, Alex snapped, "We're not gonna start if Izzie doesn't _focus_." But the blonde was too engrossed in whatever she was jotting down and even Cristina's attempts to gain her attention went ignored.

Finally looking up, Izzie groused out, "What should I put on the flyer?" Receiving a shrug from George and identical frowns of confusion from Alex and Cristina, Izzie simplified, "For Doc!?"

Thoughts of Izzie's self-preservation or rather _lack_ _thereof_ ran through the two dark and twisted intern's minds, unwilling to believe that the blonde was as vacuous as she looked.

"Destructive, aggressive, uh…hell dog available," Cristina humored her, inwardly excited for when Celia caught wind of Izzie's plot. George scowled at the Korean intern. "That's not helping," he stated. If Meredith and Celia were present, they would have instantly deciphered the matching gleams evident in Cristina and Alex's eyes to be one of mischief. "Fine. How about playful, protective puppy needs loving home," she suggested, a sly smirk tugging on her lips.

Shock was the main emotion visible on Izzie's face before she let out an approving sound. Alex snorted, "Don't get too excited. Cristina was referring to you and O'Malley, for when Celia kicks you to the curb and you find yourselves homeless." The dam broke and Cristina burst into uncontrollable laughter, high-fiving her smugly smirking person. Bambi and Blondie however, didn't look the least bit amused and a telltale flicker of doubt passed through George's hazel-brown orbs.

Meredith's arrival interrupted her co-twisted-interns' moment of merriment; placing her tray at the head of the table, between George and Alex, her eyes crinkled in a smile at the jubilant atmosphere and after biting into a fry, asked, "What are we laughing about?"

"Oh, we were passing on ideas for a 'Home Wanted' flyer," Cristina gleefully informed her. Striking green eyes narrowed in on a photograph taken of Doc, right underneath the caption: IN NEED OF A HOME; Meredith shook her head in disbelief, "While you're at it, you two might want to get a head start on your epitaphs."

Gaping at Meredith in utmost confusion, dumb and dumber intoned, " _Why_?"

"Because Celia will _kill_ you if you hand out those flyers," Meredith matter-of-factly explained, prompting them to blanch, and for Alex and Cristina to roll their eyes at their ignorance, after all, they already knew that Celia was dead set on keeping Doc and had clearly stated that if anyone were to move out of the house, it would be Bambi and Blondie.

Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall appear. "What flyers?" the Latina placed her tray between Cristina and Izzie, glacial orbs flickering toward each intern in suspicion, which only augmented when Izzie squeaked out " _nothing_ " while hastily crumbling a piece of paper into a ball, and George frantically changed the topic, picking up one of his hotdogs as he addressed the others, "Come on! Let's do this!"

Deciding to let them off for the time being, Celia ignored her surroundings and diligently tucked into her light salad in an effort to quell her upset stomach. Meredith on the other hand, was absorbed in the hotdog eating contest, watching in palpable amusement as Alex and George wolfed down their hotdogs with the social grace of a couple of Neanderthals. Cristina switched tactics halfway through, opting to gobble down the meat first, rather than the bun and the dog like the other two.

It was when Celia bit into an apple did she notice Cristina had finished off her hotdog meat and was currently wetting the buns with water, mushing them up before continuing to stuff them down her throat. Revolted at Cristina's obscene technique, Celia hugged her stomach and groaned, "Cristina, you do now that's disgusting, right? Resourceful, but _disgusting_."

"As opposed to that vicious, hyper devil mutt who constantly pees on _my_ bed!" Izzie snapped, eyes burning a hole through Celia, unable to remain quiet any longer. Celia tilted her head to better face the seething blonde. "What's your problem, Stevens?!" she sneered.

Meredith madly gestured at Izzie to keep her mouth shut, knowing very well that her twisted sister was going through a rough patch and that the current day was the anniversary of one of Celia's most tragic events; Izzie and George's insistences on getting rid of Doc was doing more damage than good.

Ignoring the green-eyed intern, Izzie retorted with an impressive sneer of her own as she squared off for a fight with the cruel and frankly, extremely intimidating Latina, "My problem?! _My problem_ is you!" Stuffing the last soggy bun into her mouth, Cristina's shout of victory ebbed away upon sensing the tension between her fellow interns. "Meredith and I got the dog _together_ , and from what I recall, you never wanted him! He's _not_ your dog! Just because he obeys you doesn't mean he even knows you. We are not home enough for him to know us," Izzie's voice rose to a shriek and was starting to attract attention to their table. " _A dog_! Over _George_! You're picking that evil mutt over our friend! So yeah, I don't want George to leave. _That's_ my problem! _My problem_ is that you're an evil, insensitive heartless _bitch_!" she spat out.

The entire vicinity was engulfed in an intense, stifling silence, eyes flickering intently and some, in trepidation, from the incensed blonde to Celia, her face completely devoid of emotion in an eerie fashion. Slowly, Celia stood up, her oddly blank orbs fixated on the red-faced, frothing at the mouth, Izzie; turning to leave, her face hardened as she looked over her shoulder and spoke up in a deadly, detached tone, "That dog you've been harping on about for the better half of a month, is more intelligent than your minuscule mind can comprehend. In fact, even with the brain cells of yours and O'Malley's combined and you're _still_ not up to par with Doc. Seems I pegged you all wrong, Stevens. The stereotypical blonde jokes _do_ apply to you."

Leaving the premises, Celia rushed into the nearest bathroom and threw up the contents of her lunch.

 ****GA****

Celia stubbornly double-checked, triple-checked, and even quadruple-checked just to be certain, and she _still_ couldn't believe Mrs. Weird-and-Creepy wasn't on any kind of drugs.

… _Nada_. _Zilch_!

Sullenly, the Latina handed over the results to Burke, who she was immensely grateful to for not bringing up the lunch incident. "Mrs. Cline's tox screen and titer both came back negative. I was _sure_ I was right about that," she morosely added. Chuckling, Burke scanned the results before flashing her an amused look, "Gonna have to adjust your world view, Dr. Chávez. There _are_ people out there that don't lie." She grudgingly nodded though still looked conflicted. Still amused, Burke pressed ahead, "Although frankly, the drug use would've explained the valve failure."

Pausing halfway up the stairs, Celia inquired, "So how do we proceed?" Stopping alongside her, Burke ordered her to schedule Tigger for surgery. Nodding in obedience, Celia started heading back up the stairs, only for Burke's next words to abruptly halt her progression.

"Do you want to come over for dinner?"

Gaping at the Attending in shock, Celia eloquently blurted out, " _What_?"

"Dinner," Burke repeated, the corner of his lips tugging upward at having caught the well put together Latina off-guard, "You and Dr. Grey. Our place. Mine and Cristina's."

At first, the expression of unadulterated shock on the Latina's face melted to relief, having foolishly believed she had gained an unsought admirer and that another Attending would be chasing after her, worst of all, the boyfriend of her person! Relief quickly morphed into confusion however, until she promptly recalled Cristina's many vocal complains about not wanting to move in with Burke, evoking the creeptacular reminder that this man used the _Dewey Decimal System_ for crying out loud! Lastly, realization turned to awkwardness, all in the span of five seconds.

" _Why_?" she spluttered, mentally facepalming at her inability to properly express herself without appearing dim to her superior. Burke seemed understanding, a benign smile on his features, "You're one of Cristina's best friends. I want her to feel welcome to have friends in our home."

Okay… Celia definitely didn't mishear him the first time… he said _our home_.

Unbidden, Celia entertained the unwelcome image of her and Derek ultimately working out; no skeletons in closets, no demons or ghosts of the past, no wife, no complications, nothing; nothing but Derek and Celia. Snapping herself out of the dream that would never come true, she adamantly ignored the melancholy threatening to consume her and forced a smile, "Sure. If it'll make Cristina happy, Mer and I would love too."

 _Cristina so owed her for not ratting her out to Burke_.

Unbeknownst to Celia, her brilliant mask failed in concealing a sheen of sadness from her eyes, leaving Preston Burke to contemplate the enigmatic intern, as well as the reason behind the slight fissure in her unyielding composure.

 ****GA****

Meredith was given absolutely no warning; one minute, she was checking in on Rick Freeark, and the next she was being berserkly hauled out of the room and into an adjacent vacant one by a fraught Cristina Yang, who, in her panic-stricken state failed to notice a certain Attending eyeing her in displeasure.

"Cristina, _wha_ -"the dirty-blonde intern sucked in a sharp intake of breath at the unmistakable test the Korean was haphazardly waving around in front of her face. Gawking at the impassive woman in shock, she accusingly blurted out, " _You're_ _pregnant again_!?"

That particular statement had the rapidly approaching Attending, whose hand had been a hairsbreadth away from the doorknob, screech to a halt, incredulous orbs peering through the slightly ajar door, shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation that was currently taking place.

Cristina's expression was a cross between affront and disgust, " _No_ -, I'm _not pregnant_! The test is for _Celia_!"

Nonplussed, Meredith cocked her head to the side, "Celia isn't pregnant."

"Yeah, that's what she said," Cristina scoffed, sounding highly cynical, "Celia won't listen to me, but she'll listen to you. She's obviously not going to go to Dr. Satan Shepherd for a checkup, so I snatched this pregnancy test from the supply room."

" _Cristina_!" Meredith tried to make herself heard over her friend's rambling, "I'm telling you, Celia. _Isn't_. Pregnant. Believe me, if she was pregnant, I'd know." Her words had her on the receiving end of a deadpanned stare. "You're a surgeon, Meredith. Do the math! Last month, Celia and her sexy-boyfriend-turned-asshole Vince weren't broken up yet, which means… a month ago Celia was having hot steamy sex! She's been nauseous all day, clammy, puking her guts out constantly… if she's not pregnant then what the hell is wrong with her?!" Cristina rhetorically asked, adopting the tone one would when teaching basic math to an eight-year-old.

Before Meredith could come up with some convincing retort in defense of her twisted sister, the door swung open, and her eyes widened in alarm upon looking over her friend's shoulder at the livid Attending, arms crossed tightly and glaring daggers at the pregnancy test that was still being frantically waved around in Cristina's firm grasp.

"Hope I'm not interrupting, I didn't know it was social hour, Yang, Grey," Derek Shepherd snapped in a soft yet deadly tone, his voice shaking with potent fury. Swiveling in her spot, Cristina belatedly pocketed the test and bravely awaited the tongue-lashing she was undoubtedly about to be on the receiving end of. "Grey, _out_!" Those two words spoken in an eerily calm tone worked like a charm. Meredith flinched and darted out of the room, sparing Cristina a grimace before closing the door behind her.

McDreamy acting so cold and callous was extremely out of character, taking them aback, and in all honesty, it was as though he were channeling Celia Chávez's Cruella De Vil persona.

"Just came from Mr. Freeark's room a while back," Derek stated, his blue-blue eyes that usually shone with mirth and compassionate had been transformed into a flinty stare, "He's convinced that he won't be able to quit smoking. Says that you agree." Derek decided to overlook Celia's probable pregnancy in the meantime for the sake of tackling the reason he had been searching the hospital for the uncompassionate intern in the first place.

Despite the Attending's aberrant behavior, Cristina wasn't the type to be easily cowered. "No he asked my opinion. Want me to apologize?" the inquiry was spoken in a monotone, only succeeding in angering Derek even more.

"No. I want you to go in there and tell him that you're wrong," Derek said in a deceptively calm tone, eyes blazing with fury, daring her to argue back, "That you're having a bad day. Your favorite uncle died of lung cancer and that every time you see a cigarette you freak out. Say _whatever you need to say_. Get him to believe that this is about you _not_ him. Because if he thinks he won't be able to quit, he won't. Then we shouldn't even do this surgery," towards the end of his speech, Derek abandoned his cold tone and adopted a lecturing one, hoping that he would be able to get through the indifferent intern's thick skull and start treating her patients with a little bit of compassion.

However, when the intern replied in a curt tone, Derek had had enough, " _What_ is your problem? I'm your boss. What's the matter-"

"You know just for a moment, let's pretend I'm not Dr. Yang and you're not Dr. Shepherd," Cristina abruptly interjected, surprising Derek upon detecting a soft tinge in her voice. "You're the guy who screwed up my friend. The guy who drove her to get obsessed with a dog everyone's trying to get rid of. The dog she used as a replacement and a distraction because her boyfriend or _whatever the hell you two were_ , lied to her about his _wife_!"

"I never lied to her!" Derek interrupted, cheeks flushed with anger, unwilling to take a trip down memory lane to the days he had been consumed by happiness and that one rare night of complete bliss Celia opened up to him in his trailer, the first and only night she slept over and allowed spooning to take place between them. Blue-blue eyes flashed when Cristina parted her lips to harangue him further, and he hastily beat her to the punch, an icy quality to his words, "According to what I overheard between you and Dr. Grey, I'm not the one who _screwed_ your friend over."

Cristina outright gaped at the man in pure shock, rendered speechless at the way he just _used_ her words against her, hinting that Vince messed Celia up, by knocking her up.

"Now," in a manner of forced calm, Derek pointed a finger toward the door, "Go to Mr. Freeark and do as I said!"

" _Fine_!" Cristina huffed, clenching her fists as she strode out the room, "You want me to lie to the patient?! I'll just take a leaf out of your book and I'll lie." and without further ado, the Korean intern slammed the door behind her.

Alone with his thoughts, Derek squeezed his eyes shut and disregarded the lone tear that slid down his cheek; the mere thought of the Latina carrying somebody else's child, someone that wasn't him, the possibility had his already fragile heart shattering into another piece. All he could think about was his appalling treatment with her earlier, cruelly berating her for having a hang-over when in all actuality she might be pregnant.

 _No_! Derek stubbornly shook his head and furiously wiped the tear from his face; Celia was nothing to him, she no longer had any hold on him or his actions. He's her Attending, and she's his intern. The Latina made it perfectly clear that they had no future… that they never had _anything_ , and he wasn't about to allow himself to get ensnared into her web again, and further make a mockery of himself.

 ****GA****

Steeling herself, Celia mumbled, " _Get in, get out,_ " before entering Naomi Cline's room, trying to avoid the eyesore that was the patient's way too abnormal smile, and she couldn't help but curiously wonder if her face ached from the incessant smiling. Brusquely, Celia offered her a chart that needed her signature for the upcoming surgery, "I just need you to sign here, Mrs. Cline, and we can go ahead and schedule you for surgery and get you out of here in no time." _She desperately hoped so_ …

The upbeat woman excitedly scribbled her signature, humming an annoying tune under her breath. "You know, you are a _gorgeous_ young woman. Look at you! Saucy, sassy," she tittered, bouncing her head from left to right at the rhyme she had made, " _Saucy, sassy_. An exotic _Latina_!" her attempt at pronouncing the accent was a drastic fail and the forced smile on Celia's face was beginning to hurt, "You should smile more. _Genuinely_ smile more… with feeling," she winked.

Another fake smile later and Celia escaped her presence. Her loud exhale of relief dying halfway out upon locating Tigger's husband sitting nearby, and his downcast expression was a godsend to the abrasive Latina, evoking her compassionate side to make an appearance. Without hesitation, she approached the morose man, pitying the poor sod for marrying the insane lady.

"Mr. Cline, are you alright?"

Tom jolted in his seat, abruptly standing up and meeting her chocolate gaze with desperate eyes, "Oh, ah… do me a favor and don't tell her you saw me. I'm, I'm not sure that I'm going to go in. She's… she can be _exhausting_."

Pity surged. "Yeah… she's uh, really perky," Celia slowly admitted. Tom huffed, nodding in rapid agreement, "You know I thought it was just… falling in love, the wedding, but I was kinda hoping the honeymoon would be over by now, you know? I mean it's _not normal_ , right?" his voice dropped down an octave, looking quite terrified, " _Nobody's that happy_."

That conversation prompted Celia's next course of actions that she hoped wouldn't come to bite her in the ass once Burke found out; he wouldn't be pleased to discover that she forged his signature in order to run another tox screen on Tigger Cline. It's just… once Celia's compassionate side became conscious, it took over her actions completely, making her naught but a witness to her good deeds. The poor man… Tom Cline… he looked positively frightened of being in the same room as Mrs. Sunshine, and Celia couldn't help but _want_ to help him. Just because she had long-ago came to terms with the fact that she would never find happiness, didn't mean she enjoyed watching others suffer… just tone down on the happiness for goodness sakes!

The consequences of her actions came to light when Celia was walking over to the blood lab to collect the results; consequences in the form of a tall and imposing Dr. Burke slowly approaching her and looking anything _but_ amused.

"I got paged Dr. Chávez," Burke started off in a tone that brooked no interruptions, "Jeffrey wanted to give me the results to the extensive blood work that I ordered," said results were currently in his grip and Celia felt her nausea return tenfold. "You forged my signature?" and while it was stated as a question, it really wasn't. Wincing, Celia nibbled on the plumpness of her bottom lip, "I'm guessing that's _really_ _bad_ …"

Burke looked down at her in incredulity, "Yeah, that's ' _really_ _bad'_. Naomi is _not_ on drugs. The tests came back _negative_."

Chocolate orbs widened, mouth agape, and all impassiveness disappeared from her gorgeous features, "You've _got_ to be kidding me. That's just- it's not right…" Burke sighed loudly at the Latina's tenacity, "Next time you forge my signature, let me know. Save me the trip."

 _Wait, what?!_ Back up, _back up_ … Dr. Burke, _the_ Dr. Preston Burke that had flipped shit on Meredith and in extension her, for backing Meredith up, regarding stealing Baby-Smurf from another service, despite that fact he had a birth defect and needed Burke's expertise in the OR. _That_ same Attending was giving her a soft pat on the shoulder for _forging his signature_?!

"That's it?" Celia's composure was quickly going down the drain, and she struggled to save face, assessing the suddenly lenient Attending with an incredulous stare, "I mean… you're not going to yell or say ' _Damn it Chávez_ ' and storm out or ban me from the OR, or-"the Latina's rambling seemed to be a source of entertainment for Burke, however, he cut her off with an amused smile, "I will if you want me to."

Eyes wide, Celia frantically shook her head, "No need. I'm good."

Jeffrey suddenly approached them, offering a test to a perplexed Burke, "Dr. Burke, here's another one. Her serotonin level is through the roof."

Scanning the test, Burke and Celia started trekking down the hallway while he quizzed her on Tigger's detailed history and after informing him that the patient developed asthma after the first surgery, they nailed the mystery. Reaching their destination, Celia averted meeting the chipper stare of Naomi's and gave Tom a supporting smile as Burke imparted their new discovery.

"We found a carcinoid tumor in the lump. Very rare. Almost impossible to diagnose. It masks itself as a bunch of seemingly unrelated symptoms. Adult onset asthma, valve failure…" he inclined his head toward Celia to continue, and with relish, she pointed out, "An increased level of serotonin in the blood which creates a false sense of euphoria."

On cue, Naomi smiled broadly, further validating their point.

Hesitantly, Tom spoke up from Naomi's bedside, "So, Naomi is not _actually_ happy. She just has a tumor?"

"Exactly," Burke didn't skip a beat.

Tom slumped in unadulterated relief. " _Thank god,_ " he breathed out looking positively delirious. Burke's lips twitched upon overhearing Celia mutter, "That's exactly what I said."

 ****GA****

Despite what people may say about Cristina Yang, the robot did indeed have a compassionate side, however, her compassion worked in strange and mysterious ways. The intern was fully inclined to abide to Derek's order and apologize to Rick Freeark for beating him down and her failure in motivating him to quit smoking as any surgeon would've, and then he fed her a sob story about him not wanting to be the guy sitting in a bar with a stump for a hand, having a smoke ten years down the line bragging about how he _used to_ play better than Dave Navarro. And then, Rick brought up the fact that when he smoked his last cigarette before being admitted into the hospital, he didn't know it would be his last cigarette.

Next thing Cristina knew, she stood outside the hospital, her patient smoking his very last gratifying cigarette under her watchful eye.

And that was the scene Celia Chávez walked in on.

"What the-. _Cristina_! Please tell me you're not _allowing_ your patient to smoke a cigarette. A patient that had been warned _against_ smoking!" Celia admonished, chocolate eyes blinking in disbelief. Cristina gave Rick a comforting pat on his arm before turning to confront her person who was drowning in heavy denial. "Don't worry about that, I've got it handled. You should be more worried about yourself, Celia," she retorted gravely.

Celia arched an eyebrow in response, hands snuggled tightly on her hips, silently encouraging Cristina to elucidate. The Korean intern pulled out the pregnancy test she previously swiped that had been burning a hole in her pocket all day and tossed it over to the Latina, who instinctively reached out and caught it. Chocolate orbs blazed upon detecting what _exactly_ her friend was insinuating, "I'm not going there with you, Cristina. I've been looking for you to talk about Burke and about how you've been _lying to him_ about moving in, which ya know, I casually found out _after_ he invited me _for dinner_ at and I quote: 'Our place. Mine and Cristina's.'"

Cristina grimaced, scratching the nape of her neck, "I am moving in with Burke… I just- I told him I moved in with him, _okay_? I'm still keeping my old apartment. _That's all_." On the receiving end of Celia's x-ray stare, she defensively huffed out, " _What_? I sleep with Burke every night. My clothes are there. So I still have my apartment, big deal," sweeping the big deal under the rug… _again_!

Folding her arms, Celia groused out, "So I'm supposed to go to dinner at your fake apartment with the guy you fake live with? Uh, pretty big deal here, Cristina." Not appreciating the Latina's sarcasm and her judgy eyes, Cristina shot back, "Fine. I'll tell Burke the truth, _if_ you take the test."

"I am NOT pregnant, Cristina!" Celia shouted, her caramel complexion was flushed with anger and her chocolate orbs blazed wildly. Poor Rick wasn't used to being in close proximity to the one dubbed Cruella De Vil by the mass, and he tried making himself look small, the second cigarette he clandestinely lit up going _completely_ unnoticed by Cristina. The Korean intern gave her person a deadpanned look, "I didn't think I was pregnant when I was pregnant either. But the clamminess, the abdominal pain, _the non-stop vomiting_!"

"I'm _not_ pregnant!" Celia repeated, her tone one of deadly calm making it even more terrifying; too bad Cristina was growing used to the impassive Latina and barely got affected. "You don't know who the father is, do you?" she postulated, prompting a strangled scream out of Celia. "Or, you don't want to get back in touch with Vince after his dick move. You can't avoid your problems forever, Celia, it'll catch up to you eventually, just like it did with me when I was pregnant."

Those words more than anything had a huge impact on Celia Chávez, the girl who had been running for so long from her demons, adamant they stay far, _far_ away under lock and key… and the nausea made a looming appearance. Inhaling and exhaling shakily, Celia massaged her temples before leveling Cristina with a calm gaze, "Was I mean to you when you were pregnant? Did I hound you constantly and force you to speak about it? Did I harass you with questions regarding the father's identity and what your plans were for the baby? _No_! I respected your privacy and kept my mouth shut. I'd appreciate it if you could reciprocate the sentiment, Cristina."

There was a beat of silence, and just as Celia thought the subject was finally dropped, Cristina opened her damn mouth again, "I thought you said you weren't pregnant..."

Balling a clump of her hair in irate fury, Celia wordlessly snatched the second cigarette that she didn't fail to notice Rick had ignited, unlike Cristina, and inhaled it like a dehydrated person would desperately gulp down water. Blowing a huge puff of smoke out of her mouth, Celia snapped, glaring daggers at her person, "If I were pregnant, would I have done _that_?!" but before a gobsmacked Cristina could offer a retort, a loud bang against the windows echoed around them, immediately followed by a chastising shriek of " _CELIA CHÁVEZ_ " from Meredith.

Pivoting around, the two interns and the bewildered patient recoiled slightly and the twin expressions of fury from Meredith and Derek, striking greens and entrancing blue-blues alight with fury. Meredith stormed over and violently snatched the cigarette from her twisted sister's grip, tossed it onto the ground and stomped on in, " _What the hell_ , Celia!"

"Mer, rela-"

"Don't tell me to relax, Celia!" Meredith raged, poking her chest with a finger, "One puff is all it takes. One small inhale and you'll get addicted again! What the hell were you _thinking_?!" Derek had been furiously berating Cristina at the same time, and upon hearing Meredith's exclamation, both the Attending and the intern gaped in shock at the impassive Latina; Celia Chávez was once upon a time, a heavy smoker and an addict to boot… Meredith's words and reaction made that glaringly obvious. Fuming at her best friend, Celia sneered, "Why don't you air out my dirty laundry by the nurse's station, Meredith, I'm not sure everyone heard you yet. And FYI," Celia continued, not allowing Meredith a chance to talk, "I wasn't about to get hooked again, you should know me better by now. I was trying to prove a point!"

Derek chose that moment to interfere, having had enough with the interns and their incessant drama, especially in front of a patient, "A point? You and Yang allowed a patient in my care to smoke! And not only that, but you proved a horrible example when you decided to smoke that cigarette, Chávez. Enlighten me please, what do you have to say for yourself?!" he coldly harangued her.

"THAT I'M NOT PREGNANT!"

Those words barely escaped the Latina's lips when all of a sudden, she paled and her face turned clammy. Hugging her stomach, Celia lost the battle with herself and threw up on the ground by Derek Shepherd's feet, her eyes closed in pain and her groan of agony ringing in the deathly silent air around them.

 ****GA****

The hectic day at Seattle Grace was reaching fruition.

"Bed rest at home until the baby comes. You do know what bed rest is don't you Miranda," was Addison Montgomery-Shepherd's parting words to a very pregnant Bailey, before turning tail and making her way over to her latest and most surprising patient that had been forcibly admitted over an hour ago, the last non-negotiable order made by the incensed Nazi.

The interns, excluding Celia, were huddled together, obediently shadowing their resident as a nurse pushed her down the hallway and out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Bright and bubbly Izzie couldn't help but chirpily offer Bailey a care package before the elevator door could separate them. Grudgingly, Bailey accepted the present and just as the doors slid shut, she stopped it with her shoe at the last moment, her coffee orbs sternly flickering between five of her six interns, "I may be 47 months pregnant. I may be on bed rest. I may not be able to see my own feet, but I _am_ Dr. Bailey. I _hear_ _everything_. I _know_ _everything_. I'm watching _each and every one of you_. And I _will_ return."

The doors closed with those ominous words, and the five interns shivered in fear only the wrath of the Nazi could evoke.

"Meredith, can I, can we talk," George hesitantly approached the dirty-blonde intern. Separating themselves from their co-interns, George took a lungful of air before beginning with his ranter, "You don't get to choose… I know Celia's been going through a bad time, and no matter how much she denies it, she misses Shepherd and that the break up with Vince made an impact on her. And I know that both your lives have admittedly been pretty unpleasant these last few weeks, I mean, you get points for breathing in and out. She gets to be selfish, and so do you. But… choosing a dog over me? I'm George! I sleep down the hall from you. I buy your tampons. I have… held your hand every time you've asked and I ignore Celia's crass behavior toward me and I'm there for her whenever she needs me. I've earned the right to be seen. To be respected. To not have you and Celia think of me as less than a dog that you got at the pound… So, I'm not moving out. Whether you like it or not, I'm staying."

Meredith stood rooted in her spot, calmly staring at George as he collected his breath. Softly placing her hand over his bicep, she smiled sadly, "George, despite Celia's words this morning, and despite how much she would deny it if you outright asked her, she _does_ care a lot about you and Izzie. _She does_ ," she enunciated at the utter look of disbelief displayed on George's face, "But… you have to understand something, Celia's had a hard life. I'm not about to spill her secrets, I just-I want you to understand that Celia didn't grow up like you did. Knowing everything she's been through, it's a miracle she has the strength to wake up every morning… I know I wouldn't." George blanched, gaping at Meredith as though she were a ghost. "At the end of the day, people always leave Celia, whether by choice or unintentionally. Notwithstanding family, including myself, Celia never had the chance to hold onto something for long, to hold on to happiness. _Doc makes her happy_. That dog brightens up her day and helps her move through the pain Derek and Vince inflicted on her. Celia denies this, but I've known her my entire life, and she got attached to Doc."

Dragging a hand through her hair, Meredith beseeched George with her eyes, willing him to understand, "Today's been a rough day for Celia. A week after New Year happens to be the anniversary of a horrible event that changed Celia's life, and… instead of supporting her and making things easier on her, Derek treated her coldly, Izzie _humiliated_ her in front of her peers and our bosses, Cristina's been insinuating things that aren't true, and you forced her to make an ultimatum: lose a friendship she never wanted with a guy she grudgingly grew to care about, or toss out a dog that's been very therapeutic to her. Celia is not only my best friend, George, she's my sister, my family… heck, the only family that's never abandoned me or harmed me in any way. You and Izzie are my friends, and I _don't_ want you to move out, but… if it comes to, at the end of the day I will _always_ pick Celia, her happiness will _always_ come first."

Leaving George to process the new insight on Celia, Meredith approached Alex, ignoring Izzie's death glare as she ran over to George's side. "Hey, Alex. First of all, congrats on passing the board exam…and also, Izzie is refusing to take Doc home. I don't want to leave Celia, so do you mind dropping him to the house, please?"

Placing a chaste kiss on her forehead, Alex smiled, "Thanks, Mer. Let me know how Celia's doing. Don't worry about Doc, I've got him."

At that moment, her pager beeped with a 911 from Celia

 ****GA****

Richard Webber wiped the OR board clean since the nurses had all left on strike while Derek and Burke stood behind him, confirming the beginning of the strike. However, before the three surgeons could go their separate ways, an out of breath Meredith made a beeline toward the Chief, looking quite deranged, "Chief, it's Celia. She's uh, not letting Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd proceed."

"What's wrong with Dr. Chávez?" a curious Burke inquired, in a surprising turn of events, he had actually grown fond of the cold intern that day, and he was genuinely worried about her well-being.

Derek scoffed, ignoring Meredith's warning glare, "Apparently, she's pregnant."

" _What_?" Richard hissed; but his anger quickly melted away upon realizing the date and he frantically shook his head, "Celia Chávez is _not_ pregnant. Meredith, take me to her."

Leaving behind the two baffled Attendings, Meredith escorted a frantic Richard toward the OB/GYN section. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife; Celia was glaring daggers at Addison, her face hardening by the second. Addison on the other hand, looked faint, her emerald orbs flickering from the ultrasound she had to tackle Celia into sitting still for, and to the results of the Latina's blood tests in her loose grip.

"Addison," Richard breathed out, comprehending the reason behind his Attending's palpable shock; Addison Montgomery was a double board certified OB/GYN and one of the foremost neonatal surgeons in the country, among other elaborate titles, therefore, there was no possibility that the redhead wouldn't have immediately unraveled one of Celia Chávez's most deepest darkest secrets.

Clearing her throat and trying to adopt a professional stance, Addison ignored the waging thoughts regarding the woman her husband was in love with. "So, you'll be happy to know that Dr. Chávez isn't in fact pregnant." Turning to the ultrasound, Addison ignored Celia's vicious scoff and began demonstrating with her hands, "While her menstruation is a week late, if Dr. Chávez was five weeks pregnant, we would be able to see her gestational sac and the yolk sac present."

"Psychosomatic," Richard finally uttered, flashing his goddaughter a warning look when she opened her mouth to argue. Frowning at the Chief in confusion, Addison eloquently asked, "I beg your pardon?" However, this time, a reluctant Meredith elucidated, "The late period, the nonstop vomiting… it's all psychosomatic. We usually just wait for it to run its course-"

" _Meredith!_ _That's enough_!" Celia hissed, and for the first time since her introduction to Celia Chávez, the Ice-Queen and Cruella De Vil, Addison noted that she was immensely nervous… not that she blamed her after what she had recently discovered. "She already knows too much. Just _STOP_!" she yelled.

 **No matter how hard we try to ignore it or deny it… eventually the lies fall away.**

Richard leveled the Attending with a solemn gaze, "And what exactly is it that you know?"

Detecting the order in his calm tone, Addison obediently revealed, "While the ultrasound revealed that Dr. Chávez in indeed not pregnant, it also exposed that the shape of her vaginal wall isn't circular but oval, an aftereffect of women who had previously given birth before… that coupled with the results I received from the blood drawn, it disclosed that Dr. Chávez has a positive antibody screen… which means-"

"You do understand, Addison that this falls under the strict patient-doctor confidentiality, correct?" Richard's tone ranged from didactic to solemn. He had to protect his goddaughter's secret, meaning that word could not get out.

 **Whether we like it or not…**

"I will sue your ass if you disclose this information to anybody, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd," Celia caustically threatened, eyes boring a hole into the redhead, "That includes your husband." Addison, while gravely offended, nodded in affirmative, "Contrary to what you may think of me, Dr. Chávez, I take my oaths _very_ seriously, and I never betray a patient's trust. I never have, and I won't start with you."

Richard left the room after that, leaving Meredith to help Celia get dressed and Addison to pack away the supplies. And after much hesitation, Addison turned to confront Celia, inwardly surprised to see that Meredith was no longer present and the Latina was expectantly gazing back at her, "Spit it out. Contrary to what you may think of me, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, I don't bite," she mocked, imitating her previous words.

"Just for future reference, who knows about this?"

"My mother, brothers and step-father do, obviously," Celia listed off in one breath, "Richard and Meredith. That's it. And now you know… I hope it continues to stay that way."

 **But here's the truth about the truth. It hurts.**

Addison nodded, "And-"Celia paused with her hand on the doorknob, "I know it's none of my business, but… What happened to... _it_?"

Celia looked over her shoulder to better face the wife of the man she was irrevocably in love with, despite her many denials. In a detached tone, devoid of any emotion, bellying her bitter smile, Celia revealed, "I gave _him_ up for adoption to a nice, suburban couple… It's better this way. He's better off. …Goodnight, Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd."

 **So we lie.**

 **A/N:** **Because I left you hanging for so long, I gave you a long chapter and finally revealed ONE of Celia's dark secrets. XD**

 **Did you totally see this coming? LOL!**

 **(1) About Doc… I hated the fact that in canon, Meredith had to give him away, even if it was just to Derek and she saw him all the time. I mean, George and Izzie were staying at** _ **Meredith's house**_ **, they infiltrated her home and start demanding her to get rid of her pet?! … I have a cat that I adore to bits and pieces, and since I am the one that raised her since she was 2 months old, she's mostly friendly with me. And my friends visit me all the time, and she's a bit standoffish with them… however, my friends never stopped visiting me and never gave me an ultimatum to get rid of a living breathing animal that formed attachments with its owner… am I right? Pet owners out there might get what I'm saying… so, I decided to form a deep bond between Celia and Doc, and in my opinion, just because George and Izzie hate the dog, doesn't make it right to give Doc away. So in my story, Doc stays with Meredith and Celia, which further aids my plot for when Meredith meets McVet and we get the ball rolling with her dark and twisty moments. ;)**

 **(2) There were a lot of lectures and arguments in this chapter which really took a lot out of me. I hated writing mean Derek, hate it,** _ **hate it!**_ **But I had to do it… Don't worry all you McDreamy fans out there, it's not permanent. The road to DELIA is still a work in progress so be more patient. And BTW, if you noticed this chapter was very Celia, Meredith, Derek, Christina and Burke-centric. Little hint: I'm planning on forming a bond between Celia and Burke ;)… cannot wait for that plot to unravel! XD**

 **(3) And last note, Celia's secret. So to further explain it to those that are a bit lost… Celia Chávez was pregnant during her youth, and the small hint at the end revealed that she had a bouncing baby boy and gave him up for adoption. Having a cesarean scar would have been too obvious and it's so overused (besides, there's a reason WHY Celia didn't have a C-section, which you'll find out later), and also, I believe that Derek, a surgeon of his caliber, would have detected the scar and easily discovered one of her darkest secrets. So I Google-d like** _ **crazy**_ **and I found out that when a woman gives birth, her vaginal wall changes from a circular shape to an oval one && a positive antibody screen would be detected in the blood… so if they are incorrect I am sorry, but it's the best I can do using Google especially since Biology classes had never been my strongest suit. **_**Anywhoo**_ **, obviously her pregnancy has a story behind it and that comes later on & Celia has more skeletons in her closet, this is just one of them. ALSO, the Anniversary bit I included in this chapter has nothing to do with Celia giving her baby up for adoption; they are two completely separate events. As we are nearing Season 3, I decided to reveal a secret to make the story more interesting and not be so repetitive. So I hope you liked it! XD**

 **One more chapter and we have the Bomb Chapter! I am so excited. Hope you enjoyed this chapter; DELIA fans be patient, and keep an eye out for more secrets to come to light! XD**

 **R &R.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Chapter 24:**

Her countenance screamed disapprobation at the riotous display. Almond-shaped orbs narrowed into slits, and she glowered at the gaggle of mutinous nurses who had impudently formed a picket line in front of Seattle Grace Hospital, bellowing a fusillade of protests consisting of " _Fair hours, fair wages!_ " while brandishing various signs of dissent.

Celia easily detected the imaginary thick red line that separated the whinging protestors from the hospital's entrance…

 **In surgery there is a red line on the floor that marks the point where the hospital goes from being accessible to being off limits to all but a special few.**

 **Crossing the line unauthorized is** _ **not**_ **tolerated.**

The Latina however, wasn't the sort to be intimidated; and not by an assemblage she held absolutely _no_ respect for, _whatsoever._ Don't get Celia wrong, she _did_ appreciate nurses in general and commiserated them for the reputation they earned, claiming them to be nothing more than a supplementary asset for doctors and surgeons; it was a preconceived notion. _But_ , the nurses at Seattle Grace lost Celia's respect after the first week of her internship. They were nosy busybodies who only excelled in gossipmongering and spreading falsified rumors like a pestilence. They were interlopers. And the only nurses Celia gave a damn about, and won the overcritical Latina's respect, were Tyler and a select few scrub nurses.

" _Can't_. Can't, _can't_ cross the picket line. _I can't_ ," George mumbled, shifting from one foot to another, a war waging in his head as he eyed the nurses. Alex, who had picked Celia up as the car was with Meredith, who had woken up extra early to visit her mother at the nursing home, and also because the relationship between the Latina and the two bright and shiny interns were rocky at best and coiled with tension due to their dispute about Doc a week ago, rolled his eyes and said, "The nurses aren't our problem. We're surgeons. We aren't one of them."

Izzie cemented Alex's words by reminding Bambi of the oath he took, prompting a nervous squawk out of him, "Dad's a truck driver. Mom's a teacher. The evening news shows me crossing the picket line… they'll outlive me just to pee on my grave!"

 _How eloquent of him_ , Celia mentally scoffed, though admittedly, she did feel a stab of amusement at George's creativity.

"My mother is _the_ definition of a proud Beverly Hills housewife. She's a socialite who spends a significant amount of time attending a shitload of useless social gatherings and entertaining her blue-blooded, gold-digging girlfriends at country clubs," Celia blandly divulged, revulsion hugging each word. "Her biggest disappointment was giving birth to a daughter who contradicted her way of life as she had high expectations of me modeling my way through life and men's bank accounts," she sneered, cold orbs meeting Bambi's gaze. "So, take it from me, O'Malley. You've reached a certain stage in your life where you shouldn't allow your parents' beliefs and expectations to dictate your actions. You're a surgeon, you're supposed to be cut-throat. Stop clamoring for mommy and daddy's attention, put on your big boy pants and cross the damn picket line."

Alex nodded in wholehearted agreement, while Izzie, much to George's surprise, reluctantly supported the Latina, "While I would have lectured you _nicely_ , I hate to say it, but I'm with Celia on this one."

" _Don't cross the line!_ " some random nurse shrieked, furiously waving her sign in the air.

 **In general, lines are there for a reason.**

"Has there been any blood yet? Heard they brought in scab nurses," Cristina joined them, her expression mirroring Celia's as she glowered at the protestors.

 **For safety. For security. For clarity.**

"I think the nurses know that we are on their side," Izzie perkily stated, purposely raising her volume in the hopes that a few nurses would overhear and allow her free pass without difficulty.

Celia scoffed, her tone of voice acidic, "Speak for yourself. If I were the Chief, I'd sterilize the hospital by getting rid of the whole lot and offer their replacements the higher wages they're protesting for. That'd purify the working place and completely erase the reputation of Seattle Grace being a gossip station." The nurses in close proximity to the five interns outright gawked in affront, various pairs of orbs glaring daggers into the back of Celia's skull, which went completely ignored.

Cristina smirked and parting them with a quick " _screw it_ " she threw all caution to the wind and passed the line. The moment she appeared in their line of vision, an array of fruits were hurled in her direction, urging Cristina to use her bag as a shield to fend them off.

Okay, _now_ Celia was officially _pissed off_!

Squaring her shoulders, Celia took a step forward, inwardly finding the fact that Alex and Izzie automatically shadowed her and stuck to her person like duct tape to be amusing. Izzie knew that the safest way to cross the barrier would be in the company of Cruella de Vil, as nobody was suicidal enough to risk unleashing her wrath upon them.

Celia paused before the imaginary thick red line. Somebody fiercely yelled " _don't cross the line!_ " again, and she discerned a few idiotic nurses grab a fruit, hands hovering over their head, preparing to take aim. Leveling the protestors with a flinty stare that prompted a shiver to run down their spines, she coldly announced, "If any of you so much as throw _anything_ at us, I promise you, I'll destroy you! Unlike you, the wellbeing of my patients takes precedence over your petty demands."

 **If you choose to cross the line, you pretty much do so at your own risk.**

Appalled gasps permeated the air. Faced with an intimidating foe, the nurses grudgingly lowered their hands and Olivia, furious at Celia's insinuation, blew off steam by verbally attacking Izzie, "Change your own bedpans, Stevens!" _Lame!_

Following Celia and Alex as they casually promenaded toward the hospital's entrance, the blonde acerbically retorted over her shoulder, "Enjoy your syphilis, Olivia!"

After throwing George, who remained rooted behind the picket line with the protestors, a look that screamed 'you're pathetic', Celia slid her gaze to a flushed Izzie, a glimmer of pride passing through her chocolate orbs, and she softly patted the blonde on the shoulder, "I'm impressed, Izzie. Didn't know you had it in you." and for a moment, the dissimilar interns forgot about their week-long quarrel.

 **So why is it…**

Derek and Burke, wholly absorbed in a conversation regarding the nurses' strike, passed the three interns at that moment. As though stimulated by a magnetic pull, expressive blue-blue eyes lifted and penetrated Celia's emotionless pair; momentarily, they sparkled with emotions before he turned away from her, fists clenching in an effort to halt the instinctive reaction of reaching out to her.

… **the bigger the line…**

Celia's gaze locked onto his retreating back, melancholia hitting her like a freight train and consuming her entire being. Unknowingly, she mimicked Derek's actions, clenching her fists hard and allowing the brief searing pain to ground herself as she stalked over to the locker room, a sympathetic Alex and a bemused Izzie hot on her heels.

… **the greater the temptation to cross it?**

 ****GA****

It has been a week since Bailey was diagnosed with Braxton Hicks contractions and was _strongly_ advised by Montgomery-Shepherd to remain at home under bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. In Celia's opinion, dramatic as it may sound, Bailey had been placed under house arrest, because closing the hospital doors in a hardcore surgeon's face was pure torture, and she always related bed rest with punishment… _for a surgeon_.

In a matter of seven days, the Nazi's interns had already succeeded in chasing away two residents – the guilty party mainly consisting of Celia and Cristina, but hey, who's keeping score?

Currently, Celia, Cristina, Alex and Izzie idly stood by a nurses' station that was, _surprise, surprise_ , lacking any nurses, waiting for the latest resident – _victim_ – assigned to them. As the minutes trickled by, Izzie took it upon herself to point out the possible candidates while the three dark and twisted interns did a running commentary.

"Oh, I don't want that guy," Izzie wrinkled her nose at a particularly handsome resident sporting a buzz cut and a neatly trimmed goatee. "That guy's a freak. He doesn't let you speak in the OR."

"Yeah, but he's been published twice. He's _flawless_ ," Cristina crowed, onyx orbs trailing him in admiration. A lewd smirk materialized on Celia's face and she exaggeratedly fanned herself for emphasis, "And I bet you _anything_ he's a freak in the sheets." The other three gaped at her, gobsmacked, though slightly amused. She either didn't notice, or care, that she had rendered them speechless as she continued with relish, "You know what? I'm with Izzie on this one. If he ends up being our resident, then it'll be a conflict of interest and I won't be able to _sample_ him."

Izzie clamped her mouth with an audible _click_ , her eyes threatening to bulge out of their sockets, not only at the lascivious innuendo the _all work and no play_ Latina matter-of-factly uttered that belied her religious need for professionalism, but the sudden awareness of a pair of gleaming greyish-blue eyes that belonged to the aforementioned resident intensely settled on Celia, having obviously overheard their entire conversation.

"You are _crazy_ ," Cristina playfully bumped shoulders with her, the corner of her lips twitching, enjoying the new side Celia portrayed. Celia was like an onion, and it seemed that the more Alex and Cristina stuck around her and the more trust they earned, the more layers she peeled, revealing the many different sides of her she painstakingly hid from the world.

Brazen-faced, Celia merely shrugged, "No. I'm _horny_. Big dif- _ouch!_ " the brunette whipped around to confront Izzie, the end of her ponytail hitting her in the face in the process. "You better have a _really_ good reason for pinching me," she glowered. Meeting her scary glare head on, Izzie subtly jutted her chin to their left, toward the end of the nurses' station, where the resident in question stood perusing a file.

" _I think he heard you_ ," Izzie looked utterly mortified, the tips of her ears a vibrant shade of red. Her indignant response to Celia's rather flippant, " _And…_?" however, was disrupted by Alex pointing at a random resident hovering near the handsome one, "I think it's him. What's his name again?"

Cristina straightened up in recognition, "Oh yeah, mouth breather guy. But he'll let you do a procedure on your own if he likes you."

"What are we doing?" Meredith sidled up to them and linked arms with Celia. Meeting inquiring chocolate eyes, Meredith gave her a smile, a silent assurance that _no_ , she wasn't about to have a panic attack and _yes_ , her visit with Ellis Grey went smoothly. Satisfied, Celia lightly squeezed her hand as Alex updated her, the dark and twisted sisters' telepathic exchange having gone unnoticed, "Trying to figure out who they're going to pick for Bailey's replacement."

"Yeah, and Celia here's shamelessly undressing McHottie over there with her eyes," Cristina added, brusquely jabbing a thumb in his direction without ripping her gaze from Izzie, her flush reaching down to her neck now. Celia simply chuckled at Meredith's reaction; striking green eyes pierced the Resident and promptly inserted, "I approve."

Izzie's expression was the epitome of horrified, "God, you guys are incorrigible. _I_ feel violated-"

Her melodramatic ranter was interrupted by a booming voice emanating from the stairs that sounded suspiciously chipper. "Yang, Stevens, Chávez, Grey, O'Malley, Karev!" Simultaneously, the five interns searched for the owner and screeched to a halt when their gaze landed on a young-looking woman with chocolate curls that curtained her heart-shaped face. She had an ivory complexion and honest-to-God Bambi-doe-like brown eyes. Subconsciously, Celia and Meredith took an automatic step back, freaked out by the blinding smile on the Resident's face. Though her smile should have an initial indicator to the sound of her voice, they were wholly unprepared for the woman's ebullience.

" _Here you are_!" she cried out in a sing-song voice, her expression an amalgamation of mildly chastising and playful, as though they had been entertaining a game of hide-and-seek. "I was looking for you guys in the locker room but you _weren't there_ and then I thought-" she cocked her head to the side, not bothering to take a breather as she continued with gusto, "-well, _maybe_ my interns are looking for me too and _then_ I come out here and here you are! _Yeah_!" Meredith, Celia and Cristina looked utterly horrified, desperately wanting, but unable to separate themselves from her nauseating presence. "You guys look like a _great group_! Which is awesome. Because-"she adopted a conspiring tone, a hand beckoning them forward and only Izzie acquiesced, "-my horoscope said it's going to be a very challenging day and I was a little worried but _no you guys_ … yeah," she nodded, looking pleased with herself, "you look like a good group. _Which is great_! Because we're going to have so much fun!" and _finally_ …. FINALLY, she inhaled a large lungful of oxygen. She extended her hand out and perkily said, " _Hi_!"

Their horror intensified becoming unparalleled. Her voice was equivalent to fingernails on a chalkboard meshed with a fork scraping against a plate. Simply, Celia felt like her eardrums were _bleeding_ , and NO, she _wasn't_ being dramatic or using hyperbole. The Latina found herself praying that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. _Anything_ , she'd prefer _anything_ in exchange, _just_ to escape her presence.

Receiving no response from the rendered speechless interns, the woman closed the gap between her and Cristina and… _hugged her!_ Poor Cristina; her black orbs penetrated her fellow persons, beseeching them to rescue her as her posture remained stiff and uncomfortable in the Resident's embrace. Pulling back, she worriedly inquired, "Ooh, am I hurting you?"

"Ah, no you're… you're _touching_ me," Cristina stiffly disclosed, taking advantage of the woman's loosened grip and hurrying over to her persons' side, a good distance away from bright and chipper.

She appeared to be a tad bemused but quickly recovered, "I'm Sydney Heron. 4th Year and my philosophy just so you know is 'heal _with_ love'!" Alex and Izzie raised their eyebrows, at a loss for words; Celia, Meredith and Cristina however, looked repulsed. Sydney's gaze landed on Celia and recognition momentarily flickered in her eyes, replaced by a determined glint, "You must be the one they all call Cruella," she tittered, waving a dismissive hand in the air. "Silly. _Silly_. You just need some love and affection-"while she spoke, she moved forward with her arms parted, obviously intending to engulf her in another _improper_ embrace.

Celia stepped back, eyes steely and she vitriolically spat out, "Boss or not, if you so much as touch me, I won't be held accountable for my actions!"

Sydney halted mid-step, but much to Celia's palpable irritation, she didn't look the least bit affronted; instead, she loudly giggled and leveled the Latina with an appraising gaze, "Ooh, you're a spitfire. It's okay. It'll take time. You just need my special healing touch and you'll be a changed person in _no time_. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again," she sang out, her tone shrill, prompting Alex to share his persons horrified state. "Ok, so wonderful," she clapped her hands together, skating to her next topic. "So, Alex, Meredith, Celia, Cristina, Izzie…" she trailed off, confusion shining through, "and our little group is just missing-"

"O'Malley," Cristina snarkily interrupted. "Yeah, he's cowering behind the strike line like a little girl," she mocked. Unruffled by the frigid Korean's satirical comment, Sydney nodded, resembling a proud Mama-Bear, "Standing up for what he believes in, that's my kind of little girl. Right?" again, she was met with silence. "So… The E.R needs somebody down there for a consult, does anybody… who wants to…"

Surprised at Heron's leniency, Cristina and Alex hurriedly dashed toward the E.R., in hopes of both, escaping the Resident's suffocating presence and acquiring a patient with a supercool surgery. Meredith shot Celia a sheepish glance that reeked with guilt, the apology visible in her orbs, "I have patients I need to check on." and she too, scurried off as fast as she could as though the building were on fire.

" _Traitors_!" Celia viciously mumbled to herself upon finding herself with Izzie and her two point O version. Unwilling to be stuck with Heron for the entirety of her shift, Celia furiously thought of an excuse to ditch as the two bright and chipper women conversed with each other. Before the Latina knew it, Addison approached them, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Celia; _thank god_!

"Hey, Dr. Stevens. Could use you on a consult?"

Izzie eagerly nodded, almost palpitating with utmost gratitude at her satanic savior and imitating Meredith, sent the Latina an apologetic smile before she too, dashed off. Sydney zeroed in on Celia now, "So it looks like it's just you and me, CeCe McGee."

" _What did you just call me_?" Celia hissed through gritted teeth, and it took all the energy she could muster to suppress herself from strangling Heron with her own bare hands. _Nobody_ called her CeCe… _nobody_ but family! Before bloodshed could ensue, a rich baritone that sounded vaguely amused, permeated the air, "I'm sorry to intrude, Dr. Heron."

Celia found herself gazing into a pair of enthralling blue-grey orbs that belonged to the very resident she had been undressing with her eyes mere minutes ago. Sydney coquettishly giggled in response, her cheeks reddening upon being in close proximity to the handsome hunk, "Oh, no. Heavens no, of course not, don't be silly. You're not intruding at all, Dr. Greene. How may I help you?" The Latina wrinkled her nose in disgust, noting that Sydney Heron, hands down, _sucked_ at flirting. _Like… an abysmal fail…_

The handsome Resident: Dr. Greene? chuckled, his lips spread into a winsome smile, "I'm short an intern. You don't mind me snatching Dr. Chávez from your service, would you?"

Sydney got into a tizzy, her hands randomly gesticulating in a show of nerves, "No, no of course not. Well then, I'll leave Celia in your very capable hands." and after letting out another nervous giggle, she made her way to the E.R, intending on joining Alex and Cristina – the poor sods.

Finally recovering her bearings, Celia met the mischievous gaze of Dr. Greene's. "Your welcome," he simply uttered with a smirk. Celia withstood Dr. Derek Shepherd's charming smile and intoxicating gaze, continuously ignored the personification of Adonis's constant persuasive tactics and rejected his many advances… Dr. Greene was a piece of cake in comparison. Therefore, she snapped out of her shock and leveled him with a glare, "I never asked for any preferential treatment, so if you've got nothing for me to do, then I'll just-"

The rich sound of his laughter successfully cut her off, and she blinked at him in confusion; up till now, Derek had been the only male immune to her cold, emotionless persona. "I actually _am_ in need of an intern. I have a craniotomy scheduled in an hour. You'll be scrubbing in. Don't be late."

Gaping at his retreating back, Celia's mind whirred with activity, mentally digging for the information she had about the handsome resident. Dr. _do not know his name_ Greene was a 5th year Resident, specializing in neurosurgery; before Derek Shepherd's arrival, Nelson had been the only Attending Neurosurgeon, but they all looked up to Dr. Greene and would instead seek out guidance from him, for despite his stern disposition inside the OR and his intolerance to those that spoke out of turn, he genuinely cared for his patients' wellbeing and gladly imparted knowledge to those that yearned to learn. Until this particular instance, Greene had barely been a blip on her radar, what with having Bailey as her resident and most of the neuro cases she assigned happened to be Derek's patients.

It must be a neurosurgeon trait… to be immune to her bitchiness. Whatever it was, Celia actually found herself looking forward to working with Dr. Greene… after all, he was her 'knight in shining armor', sparing her from future murder charges or suicidal intent, both of which seemed the most likely conclusions if she were to accompany Heron _all day_.

Smirking to herself, the Latina hurriedly made her way to prep the patient for a Craniotomy.

 ****GA****

Ecstatic at her success in escaping Sydney Heron, Cristina's sense of triumph rapidly declined upon her discovery that the patient in the pit, Claire, and her husband, Wade, were a touchy feely couple, having been on their honeymoon before detouring to Seattle Grace. Grabbing a black marker, Cristina ripped her gaze from the sickening display of affection and carefully drew a line across her leg.

A puzzled frown was etched on Claire's forehead. "Why are you-"

"Oh I'm drawing a line to mark the borders of the infection," Cristina interrupted without looking up, maintaining full concentration on the matter in hand. "We'll watch it for a couple of hours. If it doesn't cross the line you'll get IV antibiotics."

"And if it does cross the line?" It baffled Alex how Wade Solomon could sound frantic, appear nervous, and yet still gaze at Claire with a lovey-dovey expression, but the man did so effortlessly. Clearing his throat, Alex replied, "Well it would mean the infection is aggressive. We'd have to do a muscle biopsy."

Alex's words seemed to have a grave effect on Claire. Her tender expression transformed into utmost concern, "You have to take out a piece of my muscle?" Receiving an absent hum of affirmative from Cristina, she frantically revealed, "Well we're supposed to run a 10K tomorrow."

Eyebrows arched, Cristina looked up from her task and established eye contact with the newlyweds as she put the cap back on the marker, "Oh, on this leg… I doubt it."

"Can you tell us when you first noticed the rash?" Alex inquired, his initial amusement at catching the couple basically trying to rip their clothes off and the negative impact they made on Cristina, all but gone. Wade's response was prompt, his voice dripping with concern, "When we were climbing Rainer yesterday."

And then they heard it, the grating voice that solely belonged to one person the two interns thought they had managed to elude, cheerfully echo from nearby, " _Wow_! You took the Emmons Glacier route?" In trepidation, Cristina and Alex turned their heads a fraction to the left, watching as Sydney Heron loomed closer, closing the distance between them. Even worse, Claire humored her, a hint of camaraderie in her voice, "Please. You can do that in an SUV. We did Liberty Ridge."

" _Wow_! That's _hardcore_ ," Sydney ebulliently shook Wade's hand and then Claire's. "Hi. I'm Sydney Heron. These guys' teacher," she jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the two displeased interns. Annoying them further, the moment Claire revealed that they were on their honeymoon, Sydney was close to palpitating with joy.

Cutting into their inane chattering, Cristina abruptly drew attention to their current issue, asking the pertinent questions their resident _should have_ , "Did you sustain any trauma on the hike? Did you fall down? Or bang your leg against something?"

The moment Claire offered a negative response, Wade's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, she cut her foot on some oyster shells at the beach a couple of days ago," he turned to Sydney, "We were windsurfing in Puget Sound."

" _Oh wow_ -"Sydney's vocabulary was lacking and she sounded like an oversized toddler instead of a 4th year Resident, "-sounds like you guys are going to need a honeymoon to recover from your honeymoon." The Solomons chuckled, and while Alex forced himself to chuckle, Cristina remained stoic, her mask of apathy threatening to crack and unveil her rage. Heron was a complete joke! …Cristina missed the Nazi.

As the newlyweds inquired about the infection, Cristina distracted herself by evaluating the leg, and just as Alex offered flimsy words of hope, she interjected, black orbs solemnly fixated on the infection that had passed the black line _really_ fast.

For the first time in her internship, Cristina wasn't looking forward to scrubbing in on a surgery.

 ****GA****

It appeared to be _one of those days_.

The nurses were on strike and the temps were, plainly put, sloppy; the charts were unorganized, the patients' preferences went ignored due to ignorance, and to make matters worse, even with the temps onboard, there was a shortage of nurses; therefore, the burden had fallen onto the surgical interns. In addition, most of the patients admitted into Seattle Grace were in need of a neuro consult.

Therefore, when Addison intercepted Derek on his way to Mrs. O'Brien's room, he automatically anticipated the reason.

"Addison," he acknowledged with a curt nod, halting in his steps.

For one week now, Derek noticed his wife was somehow detached from reality and surprisingly, it was her turn to keep a distance from him, and the neurosurgeon instantly recognized her methods of circumvention. After three days, he connected the dots, noting that Addison's evading tactics started the moment she returned to the trailer _after_ being assigned to Celia's case; he immediately bombarded her with questions on the third night, and was met with monosyllabic responses, aggravating him even further.

" _Is Chávez pregnant?"… "No"_

" _What's wrong with her?"… "Nothing."_

" _Why was she constantly throwing up then, Addison?!"… "Stress."_

" _What aren't you telling me?"… "Nothing."_

" _Fine, then! Answer this. Why are you avoiding me?" … "I'm not."_

At least the last question comprised of a two-worded reply.

Four days after confronting Addison, she no longer evaded him, but Derek would be blind to not discern her emerald orbs burning with compassion whenever her gaze settled on the Latina intern, and her behavior changed drastically; instead of glaring at Celia Chávez with hostility, Addison dodged her. She no longer forced him to admit his true feelings in regards to the intern, but avoided the topic entirely.

Addison knew something, and was in no hurry to share. And Derek grimaced; it took him one week to realize _why_ … Addison, after all, always took her oaths seriously, and therefore, would not breach the doctor-patient confidentiality.

"Derek? _Hello_? You with me?"

He blinked, returning to the present and finding Addison staring at him with concern and… _guilt_? Shaking his head, Derek offered her a diminutive smile, "Let me guess. You need a consult." it wasn't a question. Addison cocked her head to the side, blinking in confusion, "How'd you…"

"It's one of those days," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Apparently three-quarter of the patients in this hospital are in need of a neuro consult. You're the third to approach me today."

Addison nodded. "Um, yeah. I am looking for a neurosurgeon to consult on a fetal spinal tumor. You know anybody good?" she chuckled. Derek smiled softly, "Actually I do. I would offer my services, unfortunately, I have a craniectomy to perform and Mrs. O'Brien has been waiting two days for my schedule to free up." Addison looked stricken, but Derek was quick to appease her, "Dr. Greene however, is available. Lucky for you, his craniotomy only took four hours. He's a fifth year resident and he's very good. Better than Nelson, and he's an attending. I'll page him and assign him to your patient."

The redhead nodded; she trusted Derek explicitly, and if he said Greene was good, then no further argument was required in regards to how good he actually was. Derek wasn't the type to offer compliments and praise to undeserving surgeons.

"Very well. I trust you, Derek," Addison uttered with conviction before heading back to Cheyenne Wood.

After giving out the order for the nurses to prep his patient for surgery, he found Greene waiting for him outside, and to his distress, he wasn't alone. "Dr. Greene, I didn't know Dr. Chávez was in your service today," he sounded candid, somewhat professional and nonetheless cold when Celia's name was brought up. Greene's eyebrows rose, though he remained unperturbed by Derek's tone, "Yes. Well, this _is_ a teaching hospital, Dr. Shepherd, and I was in need of assistance. Dr. Heron kindly transferred Dr. Chávez to my service and she was phenomenal in the OR."

Derek would profusely deny the jealousy bubbling in his stomach when Greene described Celia as phenomenal with an impressed smile on his face that actually had Celia _glow_ under his praise. "How was the surgery? Any difficulties?" he abruptly changed the subject, adamantly treating the intern as though she were a fly on the wall. "Mr. Rubin responded well to the surgery. I allowed Dr. Chávez to drill through and she showed prowess. You would have been impressed if you were present, Dr. Shepherd."

"I see," Derek hummed, allowing himself to meet Celia's gaze for the first time since she threw up by his feet a week ago.

She truly was a marvel, glowing under Dr. Greene's praise and Derek quashed the surge of jealousy. A juvenile part of him itched to order Celia carry out menial tasks or keep Greene away from Addison's patient, but that would be selfish of him, not to mention petty, irresponsible and unprofessional, among some other disparaging words. He was an Attending, the Head of Neurosurgery, and most importantly, a surgeon. Seattle Grace was a teaching hospital, and due to their past dalliance, he noticed Celia Chávez rarely took on any neuro cases, which was pernicious to her internship and her future patients. Despite their differences and their history, Derek would never wish Celia harm.

"Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd is requesting for a neuro consult on a fetal spinal tumor," Derek was all business, his blue-blue eyes solemnly penetrating Greene's bluish-greys. "As I am currently on my way to the OR for a craniectomy, you are my first choice. I trust no other."

Greene's posture subconsciously mimicked Derek's, all mirth vanishing from his eyes, "I assisted on a similar case on my second year of residency. I am confident in my abilities." Derek nodded and with one last smile, turned to walk away, but he was still close enough to hear Greene address Celia, "Let's go, Dr. Chávez."

"You're allowing me to scrub in on another surgery with you?" the Latina sounded a combination of hopeful, dubious and in awe, and Derek's envy burned stronger than before, especially when Greene chuckled and playfully said, "What? Don't tell me you've gotten bored of me already?"

Celia's response was a kick to his gut. Derek recognized their playful banter, and it sounded suspiciously flirtatious.

Entering the OR, he forced a jovial smile on his face as he stood over his patient, scalpel at the ready, "It's a beautiful day to save lives."

 ****GA****

Notwithstanding the horrifying introduction of Sydney Heron, the day was shaping up to be ideal, a rare phenomenon which spoke volumes about Celia's life. On second thought, the fact had the Latina on edge and made her feel uneasy as she waited for the other shoe to drop.

Unlike the rest of her fellow surgical interns at Seattle Grace – _and yes, Meredith is included in that equation_ – Celia determined what field she wanted to specialize in, and had been emphatic in her decision since Med School. General Surgery. Her dedication to her future specialty played a major factor in her Derek days; the reason why Celia avoided neuro patients was because she had absolutely no interest in neurosurgery as a career. However, this particular day had been a huge eye-opener and a harsh slap to the face. Celia had always been an ambitious girl, and therefore, possessing limited medical knowledge wasn't an enticing option. _No_! Celia Chávez wanted to be the best of the best, she wanted to achieve wisdom in every branch of surgery, and not just limit herself to General.

Celia's recent enlightenment and aspiration was all thanks to one, Dr. Greene.

Standing alongside Dr. Greene in the OR, observing as he methodically cut into Mr. Ruben's brain hit Celia with the sudden epiphany: out of all the surgeries she had scrubbed in on, Celia could count on one hand the amount of times she had been in close proximity to an open brain. The instant she had been hit with the shameful epiphany, Greene confidently handed over the medical drill and ordered her to perform burr holes in Mr. Rubin's skull. Efficiently concluding her task, along with the unwavering trust the fifth year resident handed over to a surgical intern, consumed Celia with a euphoric sensation.

The slap to her face came when she scrubbed out, realizing that she allowed her personal life to interfere with her ambitious goal and her future as a cut-throat, kick-ass surgeon. Celia allowed her forbidden dalliance with Derek to not only break her moral values, but negatively impact her professional career. _And that was unacceptable_. Celia vowed to never _ever_ slip up again, and Dr. Greene was unwittingly pointing her in the right direction.

She seriously expected Greene to usher her away and send her off to scut duty when his pager rang, but surprising her again, he neutrally ordered her to walk with him.

Blending in with the background while he conversed with Derek, Celia realized that her feelings for the Adonis Attending hadn't been eviscerated, but the fact that he religiously avoided her and treated her coldly, while it hurt – _duh!_ – it was helping her move on and arrange her priorities. And when Derek left without so much as a backward glance in her direction, Celia allowed herself to believe that he finally tired of her, just like all the previous men in her life had.

 _Story of her life and all…_

Shadowing him, the Latina remained obediently silent as a temp nurse handed over the scans of Addison's patient, observing Dr. Greene in his element, a thoughtful frown on his forehead as he pondered over the best course of action for the fetus.

"So," Celia brusquely spoke up, her apathetic mask in full use as they casually made their way to Addison's patient, "No disrespect, but _why_ _are_ _you_ allowing me to tag along? Why snatch me from Dr. Heron's service? You're not responsible for me." And boy, it took a lot of energy and willpower to tack the esteemed title of Doctor before Heron's name.

Not pausing in his footsteps, Greene threw her a side glance, and a hint of mischief could be detected in his solemn and sincere words, "I wanted to see if your reputation truly does precede you." _Ugh, okay? Vague much?_ After a brief moment of silence, he elucidated, "I hear a lot of shop talk around here. Dr. Bailey is well-known for not having favorites, yet on your first day of internship, you impressed her. Did you know that?" The rhetorical question had Celia's brain on sudden shutdown for one moment, but he didn't give her time to process the discovery as he revealed more, "You've gained the moniker of Cruella de Vil around these halls, and I've heard _plenty_ about your callousness and cutting words, most people think you're heartless, and yet, I've heard from more than one source about your hidden compassion. And then there's Dr. Burke and the fact that you forged his signature last week, walking away without punishment, which is _unheard of_ , and actually proving to your superior that you'd been correct in your suspicions all along."

He paused by the door leading to Addison's patient, his eyes piercing her and prompting her to shiver at the deep inspection, "From what I hear, you're one of the best surgical interns to step foot in Seattle Grace in decades. You've got many descriptions and opinions made about you by others, I wanted to see firsthand for myself and make my own opinion about you. And till now, you've actually exceeded my expectations."

Okay, Celia had nothing to say to all of that. _Literally_ speechless. _Holy shit_ , her compartmentalized thoughts were currently in disarray!

Greene's hand paused on the doorknob. "Besides," he mentioned as an afterthought, "You're an intern. Technically, all Attendings and Residents are responsible for you and your actions." Not allowing her a chance to respond, he jovially opened the door and smiled benignly at the pregnant teenager and her mother.

Izzie's reaction at seeing her accompanying the very McHottie she previously spoke lasciviously about was extremely comical, however Addison's reaction to her appearance was anything _but_! So yeah, Celia was glad that she didn't have an irate wife sniping after her anymore, but that didn't mean she appreciated the compassionate looks and sad eyes whenever they passed each other in the hallways. All the Latina wanted, was a professional relationship… _hell_ , she'd settle for a nonexistent one. These Shepherds truly were _horrible_ in keeping their personal lives separate from their professional ones.

"You must be Dr. Greene," Addison smiled.

"Guilty. And this here, is Dr. Chávez," Greene's introduction was meant for the patient and her mother, both of whom acknowledged her with a kind smile, one that was automatically returned, the Latina deliberately ignoring Izzie mouthing " _what_ " at her. "Cheyenne," he softly addressed her, not bothering to beat around the bush, a quality that Celia deeply respected – if Celia was dying or about to go through complications in surgery, she'd rather her surgeon be upfront about it instead of coddling her with unnecessary niceties, "I just finished examining your scans, and the prognosis is very good. So what we want to try to do is go in and get as much of the tumor out as possible during your surgery."

Watery hazel orbs squarely met Greene's gaze, her hand tenderly caressing her baby bump, "So my baby will be fine?"

"Yes," Greene grinned, assuaging the Woods. Addison cleared her throat and stepped forward, "You may be able to take your baby home by the end of this week."

While the Attending, the Resident, the patient and her mother discussed the baby, Izzie subtly sidled over to Celia's side. "He heard you, didn't he?" she whispered, wary eyes trained on the back of Greene's head. When Celia offered her a 'what the hell are you talking about' look, she huffed in a mixture of impatience and frustration, "Don't give me that innocent look. I mean, he must've heard your comment this morning. How are you on his service?!"

"Wow, Izzie, don't hold back. Tell me how you truly feel," Celia blandly drawled out, her blazing orbs contradicting the calm tone of her voice; Izzie's insinuation was heard loud and clear. "Contrary to popular belief, Stevens, I don't go around opening my legs to get in a surgery. And don't you dare retreat and say that wasn't what you meant," she hissed, correctly discerning the blonde's 'whoops' expression. "Dr. Greene is the one that requested for me from Heron, so next time you decide to jump to conclusions, use that little brain of yours before you speak!"

"Is there a problem here?" Greene's inquiry prompted Izzie to jump in her spot, her expression sheepish. Celia however barely flinched, her glare never leaving Izzie's form as she spat out, "No, nothing."

 ****GA****

Some would call it happy hour, but personally, Celia strongly believed it was bitching hour, and rightfully so.

George was god-knows-where, doing god-knows-what with the Nurse Clan, and Izzie forwent accompanying them to Joe's, deciding to stick around the hospital, leaving the four persons to sit by their regular place on bar and bitch about their day.

"I'm telling you, Heron's a joke! And not even a good one!" Cristina spat out, roughly grabbing her short glass and sipping some well-needed Jack. "The patient has necrotizing fasciitis! It's a flesh eating bacteria _in_ the flesh! The _obvious_ procedure is to amputate the leg before the infection spreads and gets out of control! She could die!" she concluded with a huff. Celia and Meredith stared at the Korean for a moment longer before, in unison, their gaze slid over to gauge Alex's expression. Putting down his beer bottle, Alex shrugged, half-heartedly rolling his eyes. "Yang's pissed because I suggested saving the leg by cutting out the infection. So she has a scarred leg, at least it'll be functional," he reasoned.

Celia smirked, "At least that'll be a way cooler surgery."

A bark of laughter emanated from Alex's lips, eyes crinkling, "That's _exactly_ what I said." Cristina was not amused in the least bit when Celia and Alex exchanged high-fives. Meredith sighed, going for the softer approach, "Why are you so affected by this patient, Cristina?"

"I told Heron it's a risky procedure, that if the infection moves to her bloodstream she'll die. Her response was that the patient is young, and a newlywed. Then, get this, she accused me of not having compassion!" Celia, Meredith and Alex subtly traded looks, finally comprehending at least part of the reason behind Cristina's irritation and her outburst; last week Derek accused her of not having compassion, this week Heron… "She's the exact opposite of Bailey in the most absurd, horrifying, profoundly disturbing way," she hissed, not even close to finishing her tantrum. "Bottom line, I honestly think Heron will end up killing the patient!"

Cristina's words evoked a tensed silence as they downed their respective drinks, ordering a second round from Joe. Finally having had enough with the suffocating silence, Meredith decided it was her turn to bitch, "Speaking of killing patients, I have to kill a woman tomorrow."

" _What_?!" the other three blurted out, eyes widening on a disgruntled Meredith who knocked back her shot of tequila as though her life depended on it. "There I was, minding my own business, when I hear some old woman struggling to breath and calling out her husband's name. I called a nurse and intubated Mrs. Bickham. And _get this_! Not only is she in end-stage COPD and on hospice, but she signed a DNR!" In unison, her three persons winced in immediate comprehension. "Now I have to wait for her daughter to show up and confirm that Mrs. Bickham is DNR and then, I have to kill her! _Lucky me_! At least you three have surgeries with patients you're trying to _save_! _Not kill_!"

Cristina didn't share Meredith's misery in regards to her predicament, "And that is a problem, why? I mean, if that's what she wants, it's what she wants! And that is not unkind or lacking compassion. I'm a very compassionate person! I'm more compassionate than you Alex!"

Wow, Cristina really has a knack for non sequiturs.

"Shut your pie-hole Yang," Alex retorted; his words lacked venom, sounding more teasing.

"If the nurses didn't go on strike, then this wouldn't have happened," Celia sneered; the temp nurses were all young and inexperienced, and worst of all, they knew shit about the patients which opened up the possibility for a lot of mistakes, mistakes that Seattle Grace couldn't afford.

Alex's next words snapped her out from her dark thoughts, "Rumor around here is that you've been assigned to the Resident you were drooling over earlier." It was more of a statement; Alex already knew the answer, he just wanted Celia's affirmation, something the Latina respected as she despised it when people believe gossip without actual proof of its veracity. Cristina and Meredith gaped at the Latina, leaning closer in barely concealed curiosity. Celia rolled her eyes, "Let me guess. You spoke to Izzie?"

He sheepishly smiled in response.

"Yup. After you three ditched me, and left me alone with Heron, Dr. Greene literally saved my ass from future torment and murder charges. Requested that I be his intern for the day," Celia nonchalantly informed them, though the other three clearly detected the admiration in her voice and the approval in her eyes, shocking them even more. "He is hands down, the best resident in this place, a tie between him and Bailey in my personal opinion." Meredith gawked at her; she was deft in Celia language and the mysterious way her mind works, and the fact that the frigid Latina was actually praising somebody– it was the highest form of compliment and a damn miracle. "He actually teaches, you know. He doesn't talk at you, or look down at interns and he _teaches_! He actually let me drill burr holes without hesitation! And he's letting me scrub in on a fetal spinal tumor scheduled for tomorrow. Can you believe it?!"

Cristina was reduced to a spluttering mess, "But, but, _how_?! He has a reputation and everyone knows that he doesn't let _anyone_ speak in his OR."

"Without permission," Celia matter-of-factly revealed before tossing back a shot of tequila and gesturing to Joe for a refill. "He fervently believes that since this is a teaching hospital, it's his responsibility to teach us, _but_ he doesn't like it when he's interrupted mid-work. He explains the procedure throughout the surgery in excruciating detail. Everything he does, every step he takes, he explains aloud and if you still have trouble understanding something, he elaborates once he's done, but not during. And best of all, he's 100% professional in the OR, my kind of guy." The unlike Derek didn't go unheard.

Alex whistled, "Damn. Now I want to be on his service."

"I'm thinking of complaining to Burke about Heron," Cristina randomly blurted out, changing the topic completely.

Meredith's eyes widened in alarm and she rapidly shook her head in palpable disagreement, "I wouldn't, Cristina. That'll be a _huge mistake_. You're not only risking your professional life, but your personal one too. You'll be looked down on in the hospital if word gets out _and_ it'll be detrimental to your already shaky relationship with Burke."

Cristina frowned, "My relationship with Burke isn't shaky!"

Celia rolled her eyes in response to Cristina's selective hearing.

"Uh, yes it is," Alex and Celia intoned, staring at Cristina as though she was being purposely daft. Celia quickly took over before Cristina could retort. "You still haven't told him that you didn't exactly move in with him. You still have your apartment with all your stuff in. Look," she huffed, prompting Cristina to snap her mouth shut, "I come from a family of surgeons, okay? I know what I'm talking about. If you go running to Burke, he'll feel compelled to question Heron, a fellow surgeon, in _her_ OR. That'll put a huge kink in your Attending-Intern relationship. No. You keep Burke out of it and challenge Heron by yourself."

Meredith and Alex nodded in agreement, and a moment later, Cristina grudgingly sighed in acquiescence, realizing that Celia made a valid point.

Their bitching came to a complete halt when George entered Joe's with a pack of nurses. Unable to help himself, Alex made a "Nurse O'Malley" quip, prompting the pathetic puppy to whine to the nurses like the overgrown man-child that he was, escalating to the point where some bitch purposely spilled her drink onto Cristina's lap.

"Are you kidding me? I will _kill_ you, you know that?!" Cristina threatened, onyx orbs blazing with malicious intent. Joe actually had to intervene and break up the looming cat fight.

Casually, Celia knocked back her second shot and calmly abandoned her seat, her biting words putting an end to the brawl, "You there? Miss _Whoopsie_!" The nurse who tossed her drink onto Cristina whipped around to face her, her pitiful glare having absolutely no effect on the Latina. "Color me curious. Is it true that your boyfriend realized he was gay _while_ dating you?"

The entire pub was engulfed in a deadly silence, all eyes on Celia and the nurse.

The nurse gaped at her, "What! _No_ , n-no of-of course-"

"You sure? I mean, you nurses _are_ the source of all the gossip at Seattle Grace, and I could've sworn Syph-Nurse over there made your little secret public," Celia donned a winning smile and sinister eyes that made her extremely formidable. The nurse's betrayed orbs pinpointed a rapidly paling Olivia and the Latina smirked, "It's not so nice when you're the subject of juicy gossip, is it? Oh well, toodles! Have an early shift tomorrow, you know _saving lives_." And that definitely was a jab meant for the protesting nurses.

Cristina guffawed loudly, "And that there, _that_ is why we're friends."

Celia parted her with a wink as she and Meredith left the tensed ambience in Joe's Bar.

No sooner had the door swung shut behind them, did they hear someone calling from behind, "Celia! Hey, hey, Celia!" and when they turned around, they found themselves facing Tyler. Meredith softly nudged her, "I'll wait for you in the car."

Crossing her arms against her chest, her chocolate orbs hardened, "Don't tell me you're here to berate me and defend whoopsie's honor."

Tyler scoffed loudly, a megawatt smile materializing on his face, "Nah. Donna deserved it. No, I need a favor." Celia responded by arching a brow, silently urging him to go on. "I may be on strike, but I do care about my patients. Mrs. O'Brien, Twenty-four twelve. She'll have a major panic attack if they don't check on her at least once an hour."

"And you want me to check on her for you?" Celia asked, but there was no animosity in her tone, merely inquiring. "Why? Why me?"

"Hey, the other nurses may believe you're a sanctimonious, uncaring bitch, but I know better," Tyler smirked. "You're the best surgical intern and contrary to your impressive mask, I know you've got a great heart and that you actually care about the wellbeing of every patient that comes to Seattle Grace."

Celia and Tyler had always had, since her first week of internship, a cordial, semi-friendly relationship. While the nurses gossiped about her and judged her, Tyler did no such thing. Among all the nurses at the hospital, Tyler treated her as a surgeon, and a human being instead of a robot or the devil incarnate, and while he sometimes did get intimidated by her caustic behavior, he never let it affect their working relationship or even bitched about her behind her back. The intern and the nurse had a mutual understanding for one another, hence, why Tyler was Celia's favorite nurse.

"Done. You so owe me, Tyler," the diminutive twitching of her lips was the only indicator that the Latina was teasing him. Chuckling, Tyler shook his head and started walking toward the direction of his car, "See you on the other side, Chávez."

 ****GA****

The last thing Derek expected when he went to check in on Mrs. O'Brien's condition, was Celia Chávez tenderly covering her with a blanket and pulling back the hair from her face. In fact, the image was so affectionate and generous, that Derek stood dumbstruck by the door, blue-blue eyes softly scrutinizing the Latina from behind.

"Dr. Chávez," he barked out, keeping the volume of his voice low enough to ensure the patient didn't wake up. Celia jolted, eyes widening on him in surprise and she slowly backed away from the patient. "Mrs. O'Brien isn't your patient. Why are you here?" he demanded, his tone neutral.

"Nurse Tyler asked me to check on her. Says Mrs. O'Brien suffers from panic attacks if she isn't checked on by the hour," Celia promptly responded, her posture ramrod straight, eyes unblinking, and voice impassive.

Derek blinked, shocked beyond belief. Although, it did explain a lot. While Mrs. O'Brien's surgery had been a success, the neurosurgeon found himself immensely baffled at the hourly spike in her blood pressure… at least that enigma was solved, thanks to Chávez.

 _God, she looked beautiful._

Her presence was so addicting. All Derek wanted to do was reach out and draw her into a crushing embrace, feel her body flushed against his and her breath hit his neck, and smell the alluring aroma wafting from her hair… digging his fingers through her silky, mahogany strands.

He cleared his throat and shook his head in an effort to abolish such banned notions. Those were forbidden thoughts, he wasn't about to get sucked into her clutches again. Instead, Derek crossed his arms tightly, and narrowed his eyes, "I was under the impression that you despised nurses."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" she coldly inquired, not expecting an answer. "Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription. They are patient. A hospital would fall apart without nurses, they're a fundamental necessity. I mean-" unconsciously, Celia started rambling, emphatically sharing her beliefs, and Derek found himself entranced by her words and her comfort around him, "-nurses are mostly unappreciated, perceived as a sexual object or a subject in fantasies. Nurses carry out a lot of responsibilities in a hospital. Take Meredith for example; due to the strike and the incompetence and ignorance of the temps, she accidentally intubated a DNR patient, which could have been avoided if the nurse in charge of Mrs. Bickham had been around. I'm only on friendly terms with Tyler because he's the only nurse around here that doesn't entertain gossip-"chocolate orbs widened and her mouth snapped shut, and to Derek's ultimate surprise, her caramel complexion flushed an attractive rosy-red.

The safe where he stored his true feelings for the Latina in, began to rattle. It was like falling in love with the same person all over again, but Derek couldn't risk it. His blue-blue eyes that had been softening in the midst of her adorable ramblings, started hardening again, but before he could coldly dismiss her, Celia took matters into her own hands… _again_.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Shepherd. That was _completely_ unprofessional of me. Excuse me," and keeping her head ducked, eyes firmly planted on the ground, Celia left the room, feeling quite claustrophobic all of a sudden.

Pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, Derek allowed the back of his head to hit the wall. He closed his eyes and willed his ardent feelings for Celia to remain locked in the safe. He wasn't about to open up that can of worms again, no matter how endearing the Latina was, or how besotted he was. Today she opened up to him, yes… but tomorrow, she'll clam up and return to her usual frigid and vitriolic persona.

He was with Addison and Celia didn't trust him anymore… They were a hopeless pair and they had no future.

 ****GA****

"She's a kid you know?! She's scared enough without you putting ideas in her head. How do you tell a scared kid to give her baby away?"

"I didn't _tell her_ … I didn't advise her. I didn't pressure her. I just… _talked_ to her."

Celia frowned; Mrs. Wood's hysterical yelling along with Izzie's attempts in pacifying her reached her ears as she ambled down the hallway. She had been planning on checking Cheyenne's vitals before heading home, and she couldn't help but overhear their intense argument.

"You're not a shrink! You're not her mother. She's _my_ kid and _you crossed the line_!"

"I'm sorry."

The empty apology prompted a shriek out of Mrs. Wood, "No you're not sorry. You're superior. So what, you're a big shot doctor and you get to judge us? You get to tell my kid how to live her life?"

Hearing Izzie's long-winded response, Celia decided to get between them before a lawsuit materialized or things got nastier and out of hand. "Dr. Stevens, I think you've done enough. I'll take it from here." When Izzie stubbornly stayed rooted in her spot, the Latina activated the power of her deathly glare, "Unless you'd rather I file a complaint about you to Dr. Greene or Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd." That prompted Blondie to skedaddle.

Once Izzie was out of earshot, Celia sent Mrs. Wood – who was inhaling and exhaling like a rampaging rhinoceros – one of her best comforting smiles. "Mrs. Wood, how about you get something to eat from the cafeteria and allow me to talk to your daughter, see if I can salvage the situation." That got her on the receiving end of a suspicious stare and Celia forced her smile not to fall. _Damn you Izzie_! She always invested too much in her patients and got attached and Celia was _sick of it and most of all, sick of dealing with the consequences_! "I promise I won't make a decision for her. Dr. Stevens gave her reasons to adopt. I'm gonna try and do the opposite."

 _Bull's eye!_

Celia softly knocked on Cheyenne's door and slowly padded inside, seating herself on the chair by her bedside. "Hi, Cheyenne. Remember me? Dr. Chávez." Receiving a shy nod, Celia's smile became more genuine, "I heard about what Dr. Stevens told you, pros about adoption."

"I just, I want an education, and at the same time, I want what's best for my baby. I'm scared I won't be enough. That I'll just be cashier girl for the rest of my life…"Cheyenne trailed off, her voice thick with tears.

"And that's completely normal," Celia soothed her. "Honestly, I believe adoption is wonderful. Personally, I endorse it. The act of giving a child to people who dream about becoming a parent but aren't able to. _However_ -" she enunciated, chocolate orbs soft and tone reeking with compassion, "-just because you're pro-adoption, doesn't mean if you're pregnant the first option should be giving it up. I call my mother the She-Devil, you know," she smirked at the shock on Cheyenne's youthfully innocent face, "My mother shouldn't be a mother. She's _horrible_ at it. My father passed away when I was young, _he_ was the model parent, the one that inspired me and cared for me. He was a natural parent. But my mother? _Horrible_. But still, she gave birth to me and kept me and raised me, and when my father died, she never, not even for a second, entertained the idea of abandoning me. And sometimes, I wonder, "would I have had a better life if she gave me up? If I had a true mother?" But despite the bad times, there were good times. I'm not here to make the decision for you, Cheyenne. I'm just telling you that just because things look bleak now, it won't always be that way. Living in destitution isn't bad if there's love. And who says raising a child would be the end of any future careers? Where there's a will, there's a way. You want to keep your baby? Keep it. Deal with the consequences along the way."

Cheyenne smiled, her confidence regarding her decision surging, "Thank you, Dr. Chávez."

 ****GA****

"Took your advice, didn't complain to Burke," was Cristina's method of saying goodbye as Celia made her way to the entrance. However, before she could close the distance and head over to the parking lot, Meredith barreled into her arms, her tears suppressed but obviously needing somebody to talk to.

Leading Meredith to the bench outside, Celia remained silent, waiting for her distressed best friend to talk, and after five minutes, she did just that, "I did it. I killed her."

"She's at peace now, Death. It's what she wanted, you know that," Celia softly comforted her, rare affection displayed only to her twisted sister.

Meredith nodded fervently, "I know. I know that." They were shrouded in silence, and once again, Meredith broke it, "I saw the Chief with my mother this morning. He was talking with her, and they were laughing and…and I've never seen my mother so comfortable with someone else. You know?" Oh Celia knew alright. "I left. Decided to leave them be. But when I told the Chief that I stopped by, he asked me how she's doing. He acted like he never visited her when I was informed he was a regular visitor. Why would he lie to me?"

That brought a frown out of Celia, perplexed at the unnecessary lie. "I don't know. I mean, I can't think of a reason. You should ask him. Confront him." Meredith stared at the Latina for a while longer before nodding and standing up, "You're right. I'm gonna do it now. I'll see you at home, CeCe."

"Bye!"

Exhaling loudly, Celia shot up to her feet; she wanted to get the hell out of dodge and catch up on some sleep. Unfortunately, for the third time, she was halted in her tracks, her path interrupted.

"Leaving so soon?" turning around, Celia arched an eyebrow at the delectable Dr. Greene. "I was thinking about that offer. Thinking of taking you up on it." Seeing Celia's face shine with confusion, he clarified, "To " _sample_ " me… no?"

Celia's jaw dropped, surprised at the resident's cheekiness, not to mention his audacity, " _You heard me_?!"

"You weren't exactly keeping your voice down," Greene smirked, eyes twinkling with mischief as he approached her, now standing within arm's reach.

Celia however, didn't share his amusement, her eyes blazing with fury and expression heavy with affront, "I cannot believe Izzie was right. That's it, isn't it? The reason why you asked me to be on your service. Why you gave me the opportunity to drill burr holes. Why-… I don't trade sex for surgeries, boss or not, so you may as well fuck off, 'cause-"

"Woah, woah, woah! Easy," now Dr. Greene looked solemn, all mirth gone. "I meant what I said yesterday. I wanted to form my own opinion about you. If I thought you were the type of person that slept her way into the program, then you would've been in a lot more neuro cases and you'd still be with Shepherd."

" _What_?" she gasped, her mask of indifference failing her at the moment. Greene snorted at her naivety, "Come on, Celia. I told you I hear things. The gossip about you sleeping with Shepherd? I heard it. I just didn't believe it. I'm not the type of person who puts much credit in gossip, not without credible proof. Yesterday, Shepherd's reaction towards you, that gave you away."

She swallowed the lump from her throat and squarely met his gaze without blinking, "What do you want?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "I like you. You've got spunk. Passion. Ethics. By the time you start your residency, I honestly believe you'd be giving the Nazi a run for her money. The fact that you're against preferential treatment makes me respect you more. I requested you on my service because I wanted to interact with you, see if you earned your reputation. But you're not my intern, and I'm not your resident, so there won't be a conflict of interest and-"he took one step forward, and Celia could feel the warmth of his body through the clothes separating them, "-I'd like to see you outside the hospital."

"Dr. Greene-"

"Kane."

 **We can't help ourselves.**

 **We see a line. We want to cross it.**

Celia frowned, her head tilted to the side, "What?"

"We're not in the hospital anymore. Our shifts are over. I'm just a man, and you're just a woman. Call me Kane," and goddamn! What was the deal with neurosurgeons and their orgasm-inducing, charming smiles and their inability to take no for an answer?!

"Right, _Kane_ ," Celia amended, his name easily rolling off her tongue. "I don't mix business with pleasure. I don't date my boss, and I don't do relationships. Not anymore, not ever."

"Who said anything about a relationship?" Kane smirked, his hands settling snuggly on her waist, and for the life of her, Celia didn't know _why_ she let him. "I'm your quasi-boss, that doesn't count. And I take my job seriously. I would never let anything compromise my career. Or yours. If you were on my service again, I'd treat you like every other intern. I was actually thinking along the lines of, fuck-buddies? Friends with benefits?... Trust me when I say this, I'm not looking for a serious relationship and I have _absolutely_ no plans of settling down any time soon, at least not until I've completed my second year as an Attending, which is years away."

 **Maybe it's the thrill of trading the familiar for the unfamiliar.**

 **A sort of personal dare.**

The Latina scrutinized him, ignoring the blissful heat radiating from his big, strong hands that had yet to move an inch from her waist. "No preferential treatment?" He shook his head. "And you're not harboring a huge crush on me that'd bite us in the ass later on?" This time, when Kane shook his head, it was accompanied with a hearty chuckle that did wonderful things to her nether regions. "And it'll always be business before pleasure?" A nod. "And we'll maintain professionalism in the halls of the hospital?"

 **Only problem is, once you've crossed, it's almost impossible to go back.**

"Can I kiss you already? Because I've been itching to do that since yesterday!" he groaned.

 **But if you do manage to make it back across that line, you find safety in numbers…**

Celia smiled and wasted no time in closing the distance between them.

 _Who knew… that her careless lewd words yesterday would end up opening Pandora's Box?_ She didn't know why, but unlike McDreamy, when Kane Greene said he wouldn't allow their personal life to affect their professional one, she wholeheartedly believed him.

 **A/N:** **This was a long chapter and I am exhausted!**

 **First of all, Dr. Kane Greene is portrayed by Warren Christie. && He is a very important recurring character who MAY be bumped up to a regular as the chapters progress… we'll see.**

 **This chapter stressed a lot on Celia and Kane's relationship because it's actually gonna go to places; I didn't just add him into the story for kicks and giggles, there actually is a very important plot surrounding Sexy Dr. Kane Greene.**

 **Nurses: I respect them completely! Celia even says so more than once in this chapter. Her only problem with them is that they gossip like there's no tomorrow, and she's mostly the subject of their gossiping because they don't like her. Except Nurse Tyler…who BTW I adore! He's always been my favorite nurse and I hated the fact that they cut him out of Grey's Anatomy.**

 **The bomb episode is next chapter which I am so excited about! And don't worry, Derek won't be able to remain cold for much longer. That sexy neurosurgeon always wore his heart on his sleeve, so his current attitude has an expiration date (SOON!).**

 **Two points I want to address that might confuse my dear readers: (1) No, Celia isn't dating Kane. They agreed to have sex with no strings attached, so if any of you misunderstood, I hope this set you straight. XD (2) Some of you may be wondering "the rumors about Celia and Derek spread through the halls of the hospital, so why didn't Richard Webber confront them yet?" Answer: he (like Kane) won't believe it without substantial proof. Celia always acted cold and impassive around Derek and Derek recently started acting cold around Celia as well. Also, Richard truly believes his goddaughter wouldn't sleep with an Attending or at least be honest with him, and since she never brought it up, he chalked it off as gossip. THAT will be addressed soon. ;)**

 **I NEED ASSISTANCE: I'm trying to think of a nickname for Kane Greene. Derek is McDreamy and later on, Mark will be McSteamy. I'm not really liking McHottie for Kane… do you have a better nickname for him? If you do, I'd totally appreciate it if you post it up in a review for me or my inbox. If it's no bother… Thank you! XD**

 **R &R.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Kane Greene – Warren Christie.**

 **Chapter 25:**

The warmth that had been seeping into her bare back slowly retreated, gradually releasing her from the blissful REM period. The Latina burrowed her face deeper into the plush pillow, her groan coming out muffled as the cacophony of noise invaded her eardrums and rudely prompted her eyelashes to flutter as she blinked her eyes open. Not only was Doc barking up a storm from somewhere in the house, but her excellent senses easily detected the bright and shiny – cough, _irritating_ and _nauseating_ , cough – duo pounding their fists repeatedly against a door, while they continued yammering to each other about inconsequential matters.

This time, when Celia groaned, it resembled a weak keening wail as she mourned the hour of sleep that had been robbed from her before her tiring and utterly grueling shift at the hospital began.

A deliciously rich chuckle saturated the room, startling Celia. Snapping her head toward the direction of the sound, her chocolate orbs dilated with lust at the sight of Kane, fully dressed and prepared to leave. "Morning, gorgeous," he gave her a roguish smile, sending a zing of lust through her body, her nether region clenching and she found herself yearning for a round two with the sexy resident.

Ignoring her libido, the Latina stretched and carded a hand through her mahogany strands. "Nothing ´ _good'_ about it. I'm gonna wring their necks," she mumbled the last part to herself. The corner of his lips curled and another rich chuckle permeated the air, like melted chocolate, which _really_ , should be illegal at this ungodly hour!

Kane scooched over to Celia's side of the bed, settled his hands on her arms and stroked them in a soothing upward and downward motion. "They've been at it for a while now. I woke up to Stevens yelling at O'Malley to use a plunger if he's gonna clog up the toilet, otherwise… _what was it_?" he mused, but the mischievous grin on his features was a huge indicator that the neuro resident memorized the enter dialogue by heart. He then snapped his fingers in mock remembrance, "Right, 'otherwise we're gonna make you crap in the backyard'."

"Oh my _God_!" Celia groaned, grabbing the closest pillow within arm's reach and burying her face in it, her next words coming out muffled, "Blondie and Bambi need a muzzle."

The pillow was instantly ripped from her hold, replaced by a large, warm hand. Celia blinked at Kane. He was genuinely smiling at her, eyes crinkled in a smile, his hand cupping one side of her face to make her level with him and his face was a hairsbreadth away from hers that she could smell his cologne… _seriously! Who smells this good at 4 in the freaking morning…._ not that she's complaining… _much_. "I don't mind. It was… _highly_ entertaining," he smirked. "I haven't had such a comedic wake-up call since I moved out of my childhood home. Besides, I've got patients to check up on and an early surgery."

The next thing the Latina knew, his lips sought hers in a passionate and dominate kiss, his tongue plunging into her warm cavern. Celia's hands carded through his hair and yanked, prompting him to moan in her mouth and he pulled her bare form flushed against him, providing a delicious friction as her breasts rubbed against his soft sweatshirt.

 _Knock! Knock!_

Pulling apart with mutual groans, Celia called out, "What?!" utterly failing to mask the note of irritation in her tone. The door promptly swung open and Izzie's eyes widened at their intimate position, whatever she had to say dying in her throat. George however, who stood plastered behind the blonde, immediately slammed a hand over his eyes and puerilely yelled, "Oh, my _eyes_!" before he blindly made his way down the hallway.

"You'd think living with three girls he'd be used to this by now," Celia scoffed, though she, like Kane, had an amused twinkle in her mahogany orbs.

Chuckling – he seemed to be doing that a lot lately – Kane swiftly placed a parting kiss on her lips, stood up, grabbed his leather jacket and folded it over his arm. "Guess that's my cue. Dr. Chávez, I'll see you later," he winked. Pausing by the door, he grinned unabashedly at a frozen and still speechless Izzie, "Dr. Stevens." and he left. They clearly heard Kane make a quip to George about using a plunger next time, followed by George's nervous stammering and a moment later the front door slammed shut.

"So," Celia jumped out of bed, unbothered by her nudity, especially in front of Izzie who made it a habit to prance around in her Hello Kitty underwear on a nearly daily basis. Opening her closet, the Latina pulled on her comfy sweatpants and a Dartmouth t-shirt – purely for the sake of George's innocent eyes. "Seven days hearing Kane and I through the walls and Georgie _still_ hasn't lost that ridiculous look of surprise," she commented nonchalantly, turning to meet Izzie's immensely amused expression.

Izzie grinned in a conspiratorial manner, "Well, in George's defense, he's gotten used to walking in on me naked." Celia's bark of laughter intermingled with George's indignant, " _I heard that_!"

After the entire Doc fiasco, the chipper blonde and the twisted Latina had reached to a mutual, unspoken truce. The subjects of their many fights were never brought up again, preferring to ignore the humongous elephant in the room for the sake of a peaceful and more civilized living environment. Celia was more than okay with the arrangement, far too used to locking away her true emotions inside a vault, and Izzie found the Latina more tolerable in the absence of their daily quarrels.

Doe-like soft brown eyes scrutinized Celia with a sudden intensity, "So… you, uh, you and Dr. Greene… you seem happy- _ish_." Celia arched an inquisitive brow at her and folded her arms, knowing that the silent treatment, coupled with an impassive expression always reduced Dr. Model into a nervous wreck and made her spill her guts. "Not that I'm judging or anything-" _Bingo!_ "I'm just, you know, making an observation," she squeaked.

Celia decided to throw her a bone. "Yeah, well, I am…happy- _ish_. Kane respects what I want, he respects our arrangement, _most_ _especially_ the no strings attached part. Unlike Shepherd, I have yet to beg him to leave or to give me space or stop with the romantic mumbo-jumbo. Every time I wake up, he's either already gone or getting dressed, _thank god_."

"Basically, you traded a unicorn for a typical guy," Izzie raised an eyebrow at her. Derek was every single woman's dream after all… until his skeleton in the form of a satanic redhead with emerald eyes popped out of the closet, that is. Celia shrugged. "Typical guys have less baggage. _But_ , you got it wrong," Celia didn't know _why_ THE _hell_ she was voluntarily choosing to confide in Izzie, maybe hell was freezing over? "Kane's got a few qualities of a unicorn in my eyes. In the halls of the hospital, he treats me like any other intern and unlike _others_ -" yup, definitely a stab at a certain somebody with gorgeously moussed hair, "he doesn't corner me to declare his undying love or show signs of favoritism."

George seemed to have deemed it safe to join in, though he still had a hand shielding his eyes, "Didn't I overhear you and him in the on-call room two days ago?"

Rolling her eyes at him, Celia yanked his hand away from his eyes, "I'm decent, Bambi. And FYI, it was during our break. _Now_ ," she enunciated, eyes flickering between her two bright and shiny roommates, "before we continue getting off-track, I assume there's a perfectly good reason you two decided to barge into my room?"

Almost instantaneously, they sobered up, and when Izzie spoke next, Celia felt her miraculous good mood plummet. "It's Meredith. She's locked herself in her room and refuses to go out. Apparently, she's not going to work today."

Celia gaped at her, " _What_? She's an intern. Saving lives is _not_ optional."

Izzie smacked George's arm, "That's _exactly_ what I said! Thank you!"

Without another word, Celia made her way across the hall to Meredith's room, bright and shiny close behind. Doc sat in front of her twisted sister's closed door, adorable head flat on the ground in a depressed state, but upon seeing Celia, he straightened up and charged right at her, greeting her with slobbering licks all over her face. "Oh jeez. _Yuck_! Doc, down boy. _Down_!" The reason behind Doc's frantic barks this morning now made more sense to the Latina, for Meredith _always_ kept her door open for their faithful dog in the mornings. This time, however, she locked him out. Knocking softly, Celia called, "Mer. It's me. Open up."

There was a brief pause before the sound of the door unlocking resounded from the inside. Izzie and George rolled their eyes in unison, not particularly surprised; Celia was always an exception when it came to the dirty-blonde intern.

Closing the door behind her and Doc, Celia flopped down on Meredith's side, analyzing her depressed state and bedraggled hair. "You know, for someone that's hell-bent on staying in, you're already dressed for work," she remarked, giving Meredith the opportunity to explain her sudden reclusive status to her on her own pace.

Doc snuggled into Meredith's side, allowing her to scratch his head, and slowly, she turned to face the Latina, a haunted quality in her striking green eyes as she spoke the four accursed words that turned Celia's blood to ice… _Four words_ , spoken once in the past that irrevocably changed her life and left a permanent scar on her soul.

"I have a feeling."

" _Mer, Mer, can I come in?" Celia Chávez tentatively knocked on her best friend's door._

 _She could hear the bed groan slightly and small feet shuffling against the floor before the door slowly opened, offering only a small crack. A bloodshot eye peered through the crack and after a slight pause of hesitation, Meredith opened it fully, allowing her best friend entrance._

 _Getting a good look at the dirty-blonde, green-eyed girl, Celia wrinkled her nose, "You look horrible, Mer."_

" _You sound like our mothers," Meredith snidely pointed out. Celia gasped and dramatically slapped a hand to her mouth, "The horror! I'm gonna go wash my mouth with soap. I'll be back." The Latina made to head over to the bathroom, but a giggling Meredith grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, dragging her over to her unmade bed. "Don't be silly, CeCe."_

 _Celia smiled smugly, "Made you laugh, didn't I?"_

" _You always know how to make me laugh," Meredith said in a small voice, eyes lowered as she traced random patterns on the mattress. Concerned, Celia shuffled closer and placed an arm around her shoulder, "Mer, what's wrong? Auntie Ellis said you haven't left your room all morning."_

 _Meredith gnawed on her lower lip that had a slight quiver to it, "How come you're here?"_

 _Allowing the subject change for now, Celia said, "Mom's letting me spend the day with Daddy at work. Since Mom's spending the morning with yours, Daddy's gonna pick me up in a bit."_

 _There was a moment of silence between the best friends, when Meredith pointed out, "It's your birthday."_

 _Celia rolled her eyes and playfully nudged the blonde, "I know genius. It happens once a year. Like your birthday did two weeks ago."_

" _Har-har!" she said in a monotone. "That's not what I meant. I don't want to ruin your day with my dumb problems-"_

 _Celia frowned and meshed their fingers together, "Hey! You're my_ _ **best friend**_ _, my_ _ **sister**_ _! To me, your problems are never dumb. Your problems are my problems. Tell me, c'mon." She nudged her and a small smile curved on the green-eyed girl's lips._

" _I have a feeling."_

 _Confused, Celia blankly repeated, "A feeling. Like what, a sixth sense thing?"_

 _Staring at the Latina, a tear rolled down Meredith's face as she said with trepidation, "Like…a_ _ **bad**_ _feeling, CeCe. I don't know how to explain it. All I know is it's not good."_

 _At that moment, Sophie Chávez called out, "Mija! Your father's here!"_

 _Celia threw her arms around her friend and hugged her tight, "We'll continue when I get back. Love you, Mer!"_

" _Love you, CeCe."_

Apprehensive mahogany eyes collided with a pair of frightened greens, tears welling in the latter's eyes.

 **It's a look patients get in their eyes. There is a scent…the smell of death.**

"A… _feeling_?" Celia whispered in a voice of forced calm.

"Yes. A feeling."

 **Some kind of sixth sense.**

"And this…this _feeling_ , is it-, is it similar to the one you had last time?"

Meredith looked away, unable to hold the intense mahogany gaze any longer.

"Meredith?" Celia pleaded, grabbing her hand in a manner eerily similar to her nine-year-old-self. The haunted look in her twisted sister's eyes was answer enough, and goosebumps exploded over Celia's skin.

 **When the great beyond is headed for you, you feel it coming.**

Celia was seriously proud of herself when she managed to assemble a complete sentence without stumbling over her words. "Mer, we're interns now. I mean, we spend most of our days in a hospital where bad things happen _all the time_. Just don't get attached to any patients and we're gold." _Ouch_ , okay she may have rephrased it harshly, but Meredith didn't appear to think so as a small smile appeared on her face, sensing reason in Celia's words.

"Right. Of course. Death is a part of our lives now. Makes sense," Meredith breathed out, though the bad feeling still clung to her like a leech.

Celia forced a smile, "Exactly, so. I'm gonna shower and since you're up, you get the coffee ready. I'll join you in fifteen."

As the Latina headed over to her room, Meredith's relieved expression instantly dropped, portraying unadulterated fear. "Please, _please_ , don't let this be like last time. _Please_ let me be wrong," she murmured to herself.

 **What's the one thing you've always dreamed of doing before you die?**

 ****GA****

Dressed in their yellow trauma gowns, Alex, Cristina, Izzie and George were clustered beside each other in the pit, preparing themselves for the incoming cases. The second Celia and Meredith joined their persons' sides, Alex narrowed his gaze at Meredith, eyes alight with concern, "What's this I hear about you _not_ wanting to come in today?"

Simultaneously, Celia and Meredith glowered at the two sheepish bright and shiny interns who immediately gave them a wide berth, separating themselves from the line of fire. Still glaring daggers at them, despite the distance, Meredith spat out, " _I'm fine_. Just an…an overreaction. Forget about it."

Cristina shrugged. "Okay. How's it going with you and McStudly?" she asked Celia, her and Alex sporting shit-eating grins.

Spluttering, Celia gaped at them. Mc- _Who_ -now? "Oh, no. Oh no, no, no. Tell me you didn't? Tell me you did _not_ just McNickname Greene!"

"Technically, I didn't. Meredith did," Cristina rushed out in one breath, having no qualms in throwing Meredith under the bus. Alex smirked at Celia's comical expression. The Latina stared intently at her twisted sister, who shrugged, and said, "Oh _come_ _on_! The walls are thin, CeCe, and the noises coming from your room," she exaggeratedly fanned herself, "Dr. Greene _is_ _one hell of_ _a_ stud."

Alex's smirk fell, replaced by a look of utter disgust.

Cristina backed up the green-eyed-blonde, "Besides, Greene is a studly piece of ass. Look it up in the dictionary! It'd be a _crime_ not to Mc him!"

"I know what studly means," Celia sharply retorted, more amused than annoyed. "McStudly. Huh, I guess it could be worse." Celia would _never_ admit, not even in her dying breath, that she preferred McDreamy. …only later in the day would she realize the veracity regarding her wrong choice of words.

At that moment, an ambulance showed up, putting an end to their conversation. Alex sighed in relief, "Saved by the ambulance."

"Not like we can do anything without a resident," Cristina snarked, furious with their situation. Deciding to take their chances, Izzie and George rejoined the four twisted interns, and the six of them loitered in silence, hoping that some Resident or Attending would take pity on them and give them something to do, preferably a surgical something. Alex suddenly cleared his throat and chose to cajole Izzie into doing charts together.

"Alex, I gave you your chance. You had your chance and you slept with someone else," Izzie said, matter-of-factly. George rolled his eyes and Celia, Meredith, and Cristina tried to suppress themselves from bursting into laughter. "I forgave you in the spirit of being a bigger person. Of rising above but these legs are closed to you now. The panties are staying on. So you and me? _Never gonna happen_."

Celia, Meredith and Cristina lost the battle and cracked up laughing, George joining in. Celia in no means joined Team Izzie; through thick and thin, the Latina would always stick by Alex. Unfortunately, she had to give Dr. Model credit for handing Alex his ass and putting her foot down in regards to his attempts in regaining her favor. She had a zero tolerance for cheating, and if her boyfriend cheated – a very nice, very handsome, and _very hypothetical_ boyfriend, mind you – she'd bust his balls and _never_ allow the jerk back into her life. Therefore, Celia grudgingly – _grudgingly!_ – respected Izzie Stevens for her maturity regarding the entire matter. Besides, Celia was no fan of Syph-Nurse and hated her guts.

"So you _don't want to_ do charts later?" Alex repeated with a smirk. Cristina rolled her eyes and cut in before Izzie had a chance to retort, "Can we just get back to the point?"

A confused expression blessed Bambi's features, "You had a point?"

"Yeah," Cristina said in a ' _duh_ ' tone. "Which surgeon are we going to have to suck up to today?"

And then, a heavenly voice the six interns desperately missed and yearned to hear again, boomed from behind, as snarky as ever. "That would be _me_!" Startled, they all turned around and laid eyes on a very pregnant Bailey in casual attire, glaring at them as though they killed her puppy… _whoops_ , sorry George, killed her _cat_.

"Dr. Bailey?" Cristina breathed out, joy coloring her features.

If possible, Bailey's glare became more potent, "I've been gone two weeks. _Two weeks_! And you ran off _two residents_! I've got people phoning me at home, screaming telling me my interns are Rosemary's babies." Meredith, Alex, George and Izzie adopted a slightly offended look at the comparison, while Celia and Cristina tried their hardest not to crack a grin – obviously, nothing got past Bailey and she glared at them, their amusement not appeasing her in the slightest, especially not in her current irascible mood. "Nobody wants you! Do you think I have time for this? I am _pregnant_! I'm supposed to be on _bed rest_. I'm supposed to be growing a human being. I'm supposed to be _calm_!" she ranted, breathing heavily through her nostrils like a rhinoceros. "Do I _look_ calm to you? Did I raise you fools to be pariahs? _Chávez_! _Why_ are you smiling?! Is this a _joke_ to you?!"

Still smiling, Celia rapidly shook her head, "No, no. It's not that. It's just, your rants are like music to my ears."

Bailey glared, "Don't you bother sucking up to me-" she was cut off by George, who walked right up to her, his expression zombie-like, and engulfed her in a hug. "You're back," he said dreamily. She smacked him on the back, "Ah! I'm _not_ back." George tightened his arms around her in reply, as though scared she might disappear. "Get _off_ me!" and with a final smack, George released her and smiled at the other interns, all five of whom were gaping at him as though he just landed from outer space.

Bailey straightened up as an ambulance could be heard approaching. "Alright then. Karev, Grey, stay here and wait for the incoming case; Yang, Chávez, I've got something special assigned for you two," and the devious glint in her eyes made their stomachs churn. "You're _both_ on Shepherd's service. _Derek_ Shepherd."

" _What_?" " _Why?_ " Celia and Cristina simultaneously gasped, staring at Bailey as though she had personally offended them – which _she kinda did_ seeing how she _knew_ Derek Shepherded was their least liked Attendant. Bailey rose to her full height and placed her hands on her waist as she glared up at them incredulously, " _Why_? I'll tell you _why_?! When I likened you to Rosemary's babies, I was being kind. While Grey, Stevens, Karev, and O'Malley were problematic, both of you were the ones responsible for running off two residents, and you two received the most complaints! If I were you, I'd be grateful, unless you want to perform enemas all day?"

Celia and Cristina paled. "Dr. Shepherd's fine," they spoke simultaneously once again, much to the others' amusement. Bailey harrumphed and continued barking out orders, "O'Malley page Addison Shepherd." Obediently, George nodded and ran back into the hospital. "Stevens get a wheelchair."

Izzie cocked her head, bemused, "A wheelchair?"

"A wheelchair," Bailey confirmed.

George scuttled over to Bailey's side as Izzie darted back in. "What shall I tell Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd?" he inquired. Bailey's eyes narrowed at Celia, Cristina, Meredith and Alex. "What did I say?!" she barked. The aforementioned interns hurried off to their elected tasks.

"Dr. Bailey?" George probed.

" _What_?" she barked. Recoiling, George tentatively repeated, "What do you want me to tell Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd when she answers her page?"

At that moment, two incidents overlapped: Izzie returned with a wheelchair in tow and a gush of water splattered onto the ground. Izzie gaped, her eyes wide, and a shocked George instantly backed away. Calmly, Bailey said, "Tell her my contractions are ten minutes apart and my water just broke all over your shoes."

 ****GA****

Derek stared.

Then he blinked. "Come again?"

Sighing, Cristina nudged Celia forward. "Bailey assigned us to your service," she impassively informed him.

" _Bailey_? Bailey's back?" Derek didn't know whether he was thrilled over the Nazi's return, or having Celia on his service for the day. He had to remind himself of the promise he made and squash his happiness regarding his close proximity to the Latina beauty.

"Yes," Cristina curtly replied, not bothering to hide her displeasure.

Derek stared at them again, "Well, as of now, I've got nothing." Rubbing his forehead, he motioned for them to follow him, which they did, unhappily.

Five minutes later, they found themselves in a hallway where George and the Chief were excitedly peering into a patient's room through the tiny window on the door. Noticing Derek, Celia and Cristina, George jabbed a thumb toward the door, "Bailey's in there."

Derek smiled, though it was a bit strained, "I heard." He then looked over his shoulder at the two grumpy interns he was forced to tote around, "You two wait here for me." Approaching the door and peering in, he quickly lost his strained smile and in a strangled voice, said, "And her cervix is being examined by my wife which is ah, which is a visual image I'll never get out of my head. Thanks for the warning," he glowered at Richard and George, both of whom continued to smile stupidly at him.

At the word 'wife', Celia's heart sank. The frigid Latina quickly transformed her face into an expression of cold indifference, hating the fact that Derek _bloody_ Shepherd still had an impact on her.

The door opened and Addison stepped out, "Well… Hmm the gathering of men outside the delivery room. How mid-century of you."

"What are we, chopped liver?" Cristina murmured to Celia.

Celia blankly stared at the wall as Addison leaned forward and kissed Derek. The moment their lips connected, Celia's pager went off and all eyes were fixated on her. Derek gazed at her intensely before he jutted his chin to the end of the hallway, "Go answer that, and be quick. Yang, stay here." Grumbling to herself, Cristina leaned against the wall beside George as Celia departed. "I need to have a word with Bailey," Derek informed his wife.

"Let him in," Bailey called from inside the room. She didn't even give Derek a moment to get a word in; just as the door closed behind Addison, Bailey demanded, "This about the lackeys I sent you?"

Derek threw her a pointed look, "I've got two unhappy interns following me around with nothing to do. Why?"

"Punishment for their behavior in my absence," Bailey smirked, shrugging unapologetically. Addison however, laughed into her hand. Derek gaped at her. " _Punishment_?" the word was laced with incredulity. "Being on my service is _punishment_? You know, in New York, interns and residents would jump through hoops, fight tooth and nail for a chance to be on my service, and here it's _punishment_!"

Bailey looked at him, unimpressed, "Don't look at me like that. You seem to have a knack for pissing off my interns, Shepherd."

Derek glared at her, not having an appropriate comeback to defend himself. Bailey wasn't incorrect in her assumption. He messed up big-time with Celia, and because of that, he didn't endear himself to the rest of Bailey's interns. Only Meredith tolerated him, and that was only because he was helping Ellis as a favor to the Chief.

His pager went off all of a sudden.

"Well. Looks like you have use for Yang and Chávez now," Bailey flippantly commented.

Leaving the room, Derek barked out, "Yang, with me."

 ****GA****

In the trauma room, Meredith was checking the heart rate of her patient, James Carlson, all the while ignoring the paramedic who had managed to get her hand lodged into the patient's chest, and trying to ignore the nonstop hysterical screaming of Mrs. Carlson from outside.

 _There really never was a boring moment at Seattle Grace._

"How's his respiratory effort?" Burke asked as he entered the room. Not detaching her eyes from the heart rate, Meredith replied, "Absent breast sounds on the right side. Air bubbling on the side of the wound. He's shocky and getting a little cyanotic."

Burke leaned over Meredith, scanned the heart rate and nodded. He then turned to address one of the nurses, "Let's get him intubated and place an occlusive dressing over the wound." His eyes flickered to the young paramedic, "And who are you?"

"Hannah. Hannah Davies," was her nervous response. Burke raised an eyebrow, "Hannah, why do you have your hand inside my patient?"

A paramedic in his mid-thirties who had angrily stalked Meredith and Hannah from the ambulance to the trauma room, snapped, "I'd like to say for the record that I _told her_ not to."

Hannah ducked her head, looking slightly chastised and way in over her head, "I tried to tamponade the wound with gauze and pressure but the only thing that would stop the bleeding was my hand. Every time I tried to move it he starts bleeding out." Burke stepped closer and inspected the wound. "Can I take my hand out now?" Hannah sounded nervous, a hint of a plea in her tone.

"You _don't_ stick your hand inside of a patient when you _don't know_ how he was injured," the other paramedic heatedly rebuked her. "You don't stick your hand inside of a patient _at all_."

Quick as lightning, Hannah turned to glare at him from over her shoulder, "Yeah, I know that now!" Meredith nervously glanced at Mr. Carlson's wound, not wanting Hannah to aggravate it with her quick sudden movements. Burke appeared to be thinking amongst the same line as he barked for the paramedic to leave.

" _She_ gets to stay?" he asked incredulously.

"She has her hand stuck inside my patient," Burke promptly retorted. Hannah smirked at the irascible paramedic as he left the room. "Oh don't get happy," Burke addressed her, Hannah's smirk dropping under his disapproving gaze, "You have your finger on a major bleeder. Mr. Carlson is running out of time. The only thing that you've won is an all-expense paid trip to the OR." Calmer as he addressed Meredith, he said, "Dr. Grey, prepare to transport her to the OR," and then the room in general, "And let's make this happen quickly people."

Swiftly departing the room, he winced at the earsplitting screams of his patient's wife. "Dr. Karev! Make that woman stop screaming and tell us what happened."

 ****GA****

In retrospect, when Celia's pager went off, summoning her to the on-call room, she should have known what to expect on the other side of the door.

The door had barely closed behind her when a warm body surged forward, sinewy arms wound tightly around her waist and soft lips tackled hers ardently. As she was being kissed with such vigor, her waist was released from the large hands encasing it and they traveled down to her ass and lifted her until her legs were snugly wrapped around him.

Snapping out of her daze, Celia abruptly turned her head, " _Dr. Greene_ , you better have a good reason for this."

He kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose and smirked cheekily, pushing her backwards until her back was flushed against the wall and her front against his chest. "I've no surgery scheduled for the day _and_ -" he quickly added upon seeing her furious expression, "-I checked the board. It's quiet. Dr. Shepherd's got a free schedule-"

"How'd you know I was assigned to Shepherd?" Celia arched an eyebrow at him.

"I already told you," he squeezed her ass lightly, "I hear things." He then tipped her head back and latched on to her neck, "Nobody'll miss you-" his lips were now sucking her jaw, moving up to her chin, "-for a while."

Unable to hold it in any longer, Celia hit her head against the door and softly moaned, "Kane. Bed. _Now_."

Kane didn't miss a beat, his grin illegally devious, one of his most winsome traits. He carried her over to the nearest bunk bed, his arms around her waist and her legs around his tightening as they traveled the short distance, hands running through and tugging against each other's hair. Once the back of his knees hit the bed, he flipped her over and dropped her onto the mattress, quickly clambering over her, an arousing gasp escaping her perfect plump lips.

He quickly forced his white coat off, chucked his shoes off with the heel of his feet and yanked his shirt over his head, nearly ripping it in his haste.

" _Kane_ ," Celia moaned, legs spreading around him. Blue-grey orbs darkened with lust at the sound of his name spoken so wantonly.

"You've got too much clothes on, gorgeous," he huskily remarked, not wasting a second to divest her of her light blue scrubs; but at the sight of her black lacy bra and matching underwear, he lost the last dregs of his patience and simply forced her pants down to her mid-calf, maneuvering himself until he fit snugly between her legs, his hot breath colliding with her clothed center. He stroked his tongue over her and Celia whined, a sound so unlike her, when he touched her clit.

He continued to tease her through her underwear, holding onto her shaking thighs until he was painfully hard. She shoved herself downward in the hopes of gaining more access to his talented tongue and lustfully growled, "Stop teasing and get _on_ with it!"

Her dominance was his undoing.

Kane released her from his tongue. "These need to come off," he hissed, more to himself than the panting Latina. He ripped off his boxers, allowing his impressively hard and thick member to spring free and her shoes, hooked his fingers in the sides of her underwear and pulled down, divesting her of them and her trouser in one fell swoop. He hovered over her, salaciously licking his lips at the sexy display beneath him: a bra-clad Celia writhing impatiently and demanding for his attention – the literal definition of a freak in the sheets.

Unwilling to be teased a second longer, Celia expertly flipped him over and seductively crawled down, stopping between his legs. She looked at him with her intense dark eyes for a moment before she, without warning, leaned forward and took him entirely into her mouth, her gag reflex nonexistent. " _Fuck_!" Kane shouted, throwing his head backward against the wall. One hand was tangled in her hair and the other balled into a fist as he felt the pressure in his abdomen release, "Damn- _Da-,_ _Fuck_ CELIA!"

She swallowed him down easily and squeezed him, his limp member jolting awake. When it came to Celia Chávez, Kane was insatiable.

He pulled her closer, energized by the mere touch of her creamy skin against his and started sucking at the sensitive skin of her breast, making sure he left a mark, despite knowing that she'd kill him for it later. He unclasped her bra as she grinded against him, his member erect once again. He thrust upward and earned himself a sinful moan, her nails digging into his muscular back, "Fuck me, Kane. _Now_!"

By a mutual, unspoken agreement, Kane positioned himself vertically on the bed and as soon as his hands released her, the Latina slammed herself down onto him, impaling herself against him, a long, deep shudder escaping their lips at the new sensation. Celia tossed her head backward and moaned, gripping his shoulder for support as she started to move with reckless abandon. Occasionally, Kane would lift her up, his hips rising to meet her delicious thrusts.

"God, you feel good. So, _so_ damn _good_!" he whispered huskily into her ear, sucking her neck lightly. In no time, she was clenching so intensely and so painfully tight around him that he was beginning to see white, blinding stars. Her entire body started spasming at the intensity of the wave and they yelled their climax in harmony, both of them twitching with aftershocks and breathless praises escaping their lips.

 ****GA****

Derek's dull day took a quick and terrifying turn with the simple arrival of _one_ patient: Tucker Jones, A.K.A. Bailey's husband.

"Let's get Mr. Jones to surgery," Derek announced to the room in whole. "Where's Chávez? Yang, did you page her?"

Bewildered, Cristina frantically scoped every corner of the trauma room, as though just noticing the odd absence of her person. "Er-, uh, no, I didn't."

"I think I saw her heading to the on-call room a while back," some random nurse piped up as they started wheeling Tucker down the hallway toward the elevator.

Recognition dawned on the Korean intern and she hastily moved toward the direction of the on-call room, "I'll get her, Dr. Shepherd." But Derek dismissively waved a hand and promptly paged her, "No need. Go with the nurses."

"Really, it's no trouble at all, I'll just-"

Suspicion colored the Attending's features, his blue-blue eyes suddenly sharp and hostile, "Is there something you'd like to share, Yang?"

"N-No."

"Then is there a reason why you simply cannot follow orders?" he barked. Cristina's nerves vanished and she glared at him, "No, sir."

Derek extended a hand toward the nurses, "Then go with them."

"Yes, sir," she bit back, the spiteful tone not going unnoticed.

He burned a hole through the door of the on-call room and stormed over. It was unlocked and the lights were off. Flicking them open, the bright light portrayed an image that turned his blood to stone and pumped venom into his heart. Celia Chávez was bent over, pager in one hand and searching frantically for something with the other, and Kane Greene stood right beside her, pulling his shirt down to cover his previously naked torso.

"Am I interrupting something?" Derek surprised himself with his calm tone, for he was anything _but_ calm. He was furious and he was _insanely_ jealous.

A loud gasp permeated the suddenly tense atmosphere, and when Celia whipped around to face him, he was presented with a clear view of her disheveled state; her mahogany curls had a mussed after sex appearance, her eyes were blown wide, and her lips were swollen. Her pants were wrinkled and her upper-half was covered by a lacy black bra.

"Dr. Greene, I'd like a private word with Dr. Chávez," Derek's calm façade had yet to crack, and as he gestured to the door, his gaze continued to burn the shell-shocked Latina. Noticing his hesitation, blue-blue eyes flickered toward the resident and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from screaming himself hoarse when he took note that _only after_ Celia gave him a nod, did he leave the room, closing the door silently behind him.

The tension could be cut with a butter knife. Derek and Celia stood a distance away from each other in stony silence. Slowly, Celia straightened her shirt, belatedly realizing that she had been searching for it when he burst into the room unannounced, and began to put it on. In the process, Derek's sharp eyes narrowed in on a blossoming purple hickey emblazoned on her right breast.

The fact that Greene had _marked_ HIS Celia succeeded in unleashing all his bottled rage.

"I never pegged you for a hypocrite and a whore, Chávez," Derek's voice trembled with fury. The Latina recoiled backwards as though he had struck her, and her dark orbs flashed with indignation. "You who spew many fancy words about maintaining professionalism in the hospital, and here you are, bending over for surgeries like a two-bit tramp. Last week, Dr. Greene allowed you to drill burr holes into his patient, _now_ I know why."

Derek possessed an ugly characteristic when angered, something only his most intimate friends and family knew of: he gets mean when he's angry, and he knows _exactly_ what to say in order to hurt whoever he's mad at.

Celia had to clench her fists and shove them into her pockets in order to stop herself from slapping the Attending in the face. " _How dare you_!" she sneered, her cheeks flushed red with apoplectic anger. "What I do in my own free time is _none_ of your business. The moment you paged me I was ready so don't you dare lecture me about my lack of professionalism. I am not some prostitute, selling my body and my integrity for a surgery, I get by with my intelligence and my hard work. Not only are you debasing me as a surgeon, but as a woman! You already made me the other woman, the mistress who screwed another woman's husband, don't you dare peg another demeaning title to my name you _bastard_!"

"Having sex with your superior in the on-call room is _not_ professional. Did you already replace me with a younger version?" Derek spat out. "You disgust me. You're a heartless, bitter, manipulative woman… I think I'm more disappointed in myself, really. Because I wasted time on you, I painted you into somebody I wanted you to be and you turned out an utter disappointment. I thought you could replace Addison, make me happy, but you don't even know how to love, how to open your heart and let someone in. I was completely wrong about you. And…I've officially given up on you. You don't have any redeeming qualities. You're just a cold, impassive, bitter and mean girl playing surgeon."

More than a decade passed since Celia shed a tear, and this was the closest she had ever gotten to breaking down. A hurt gasp emanated from her lips and she shakily lifted a hand to cover her mouth. She didn't know if her entire form was shaking in anger, or unadulterated pain. Her heart ached and for a second, she wondered if she was suffering from cardiac arrest. But one thing she did know, was that no words could describe the heartbreak and the pain Derek's words evoked.

When she spoke next, her words were little more than a whisper, each word oozing with sincerity as her vacant eyes collided with Derek's flinty stare. "I wish I never accepted that drink."

Taken aback at the non sequitur, Derek uttered, "What?"

"That night. At Joe's. The first night we met. I wish I never accepted the drink you sent me. I wish that, that the first time we met was when I approached you regarding Katie Bryce. I wish we never had sex, and I wish I could change the past. Stop your wife from cheating on you, and stop you from ever coming to Seattle. I wish I never knew you," Celia concluded in a hush.

That stung. But in his furious state, Derek easily brushed it off. "You're off my service, Chávez. Follow me," he demanded, not sparing her another glance.

They rode the elevator to the OR floor in silence. Celia spent the entire time compartmentalizing recent events into her ironclad vault, slamming the door shut and locking it up.

"Dr. Burke," Derek offered him a winsome smile. "I need a favor."

Burke shut off the tap with his forearm and met the neurosurgeon's gaze with an arched eyebrow, "Oh?"

"I'd appreciate it if you could take Dr. Chávez off my service," Derek smoothly revealed. From the corner of her eye, Celia could see Cristina and Meredith huddled together, identical grimaces on their faces. "I have Bailey's husband on the table and I don't have the time or patience for incompetence."

Celia glared at a certain point on the wall, her face burning, not with humiliation, but rage.

Burke's response however, surprised nearly everybody in the vicinity, "It would be an honor to work alongside Dr. Chávez again. Dr. Grey, you're with Shepherd. Chávez, scrub in."

"Thank you, Dr. Burke," Celia courteously smiled at him, ignoring McDouchey as she bypassed him. Cristina and Meredith immediately joined her side. "I don't want to talk about it," Celia coldly said, prompting the two other two to flinch at the icy quality and compliantly back off.

 ****GA****

Celia ignored the dipstick beside her, not bothering to offer her empty words of encouragement, or emotional words of wisdom, getting her hand stuck inside a man's chest proved that she didn't have an ounce of it to start with.

"Okay everyone," Burke announced in a clear voice. "I'm going to do a thoracotomy and Hannah here is going to pull her hand out. Dr. Chávez is going to clamp the bleeder when we have more exposure." He then turned to Hannah, "You ready?"

Hannah, . dipstick, vigorously nodded, "More than ready."

Burke held out his hand, "Scalpel." The hand with the scalpel hovered over Mr. Carlson, "Okay, on the count of three. One, two, three." The scalpel was a scant inch away from making an incision when the door blasted open with a thundering slam, scaring nearly everyone out of their wits.

Celia gaped at Alex in shock, wondering if he lost all his marbles.

"Dr. Burke?" Alex breathlessly managed to utter. "I need to speak with you."

And yup, Burke ain't a pleased camper if his vexed glare was anything to go by. "I am in surgery, Karev."

Alex's hazel eyes collided with Celia for a second, and the Latina sucked in a breath at the desperation and fear she managed to decipher. He then looked at Burke, more insistent than ever upon noticing Celia in the room, "You wanna talk to me sir."

Maybe Burke also took note of the strong emotions dancing in Alex's eyes, or his curiosity got the better of him, but after a slight pause, he acceded and handed the scalpel back to the closest scrub nurse.

Much to the Latina's frustration, Burke took Alex aside and she couldn't hear a darn thing. But luckily for her, note the sarcasm, the brainless twit beside her decided to open up her yap, her glittering brown orbs focused on Alex with intrigue, "He's cute. He single?"

Counting backwards from three in her head, Celia got a grip on her anger and drawled, "Depends which one you're talking about." Thankfully, before the dimwitted moron could elaborate – though Celia purposely played dumb – Burke took a step into the OR, a resigned Alex shadowing him, and Celia desperately wanted to know why her person was staring at her in a mixture of alarm and fear.

"Hannah," Burke called, and due to her own experience, Celia sensed the manner of forced calm in which he spoke, "What do you feel? Inside of Mr. Carlson. What is your hand touching?" The Latina repressed herself from rolling her eyes when the dipstick voiced her confusion, and impressively, Burke appeared to have more patience, "Is your hand touching anything hard? Like metal?"

When she attempted to move her hand, Celia's hand instinctively shot forward, grabbing her wrist and halting any further movement – seriously, how the hell did this nincompoop become a paramedic?! Any small movement had a huge probability of rupturing something or could make Mr. Carlson bleed out.

Burke nodded his head toward Celia in gratitude before turning his attention back to Hannah, "Don't move your hand. Just tell me what you feel."

Acquiescing, Hannah's eyes squinted in contemplation, "Um, my fingertips are touching something…kinda hard." She nodded, confident in her deduction. "Yeah, yeah definitely."

" _Oh my God_!" Dr. Milton, the anesthesiologist, breathed out, his expression one of utter terror.

"Dr. Milton!" Burke sharply admonished him. Celia felt faint, she had a slight suspicion of the current events, which brought her back to this morning, and the four accursed words Meredith said. Despite her shock, Celia managed to tighten her grip on the panicky paramedic's wrist when she attempted to pull her hand out.

Burke beckoned Celia over to his side and in a quiet yet grave tone, said, "I want you to walk out of this room. _Walk_ , do not run. Go and tell the charge nurse that we have a code black." Celia's lips parted in shock and her eyes widened in horror; oh she knew what Code Black stood for, the most unheard of code in history. She was officially terrified to death. "And then," Burke continued, totally oblivious of Celia's rambling mental diarrhea, "tell him to call the bomb squad."

 ****GA****

Scary notion: Celia didn't know what to do.

She always had a plan of action, always knew the definition of a word, or the symptoms and treatment to an ailment. She was sharp as a whip, and always had a solution to everything. Maybe that made her a perfect little Mary-Sue, or maybe her many horrible traits made up for it, set a balance.

 _Enough with the rambling!_

The point _is_ , when Burke gave orders to advertise the _code black_ situation and have the bomb squad notified, Celia followed instructions to a T wholly based on adrenaline, and adrenaline _alone_. Her hysterical inner monologue was reduced to a _buzz_ and then, barely a whisper. Like an automaton that had no more orders to fulfill, she inertly made her way down the corridor and stood post in front of the OR where a freaking bomb could detonate at any random moment.

Celia hated being useless, but faced with a bomb, which was completely outside her sphere of knowledge, her mind was disturbingly vacant and her body numb.

"Can you imagine?" Alex's voice was a huge welcome to the numb Latina, like a lifeline, reminding her of her surroundings and that she wasn't alone in their current predicament. "What she stick her hand in there for anyway?" he sounded sardonic, but Celia knew that it was Alex's method of coping, and that he, like her, was completely out of his element, and therefore, frightened.

Like her person, Celia applied her respective method of coping: callousness, but brutal honesty. "Her stupidity benefited us. It's saving lives."

Alex snorted and reached out for her hand, squeezing it. Smiling softly, the Latina squeezed back, providing both of them the comfort they desperately needed. Alex's presence helped activate her mind as a small voice whispered cruelly, ' _let's hope Hannah is brave as well, otherwise it would render her moment of stupidity useless…_ ' and wasn't that a terrifying thought…

The door opened suddenly, snapping Celia and Alex into attention, and Burke stepped outside, his expression grim. His eyes flickered between the two interns and then downward to their interlaced hands, and Celia deeply suspected that the arrival of her superior, coupled with the need to be active brought back a sense of professionalism in her, "What do we do know?" _Hah! Take that Derek Shepherd_ ; almost instantaneously, she mentally facepalmed herself – she shouldn't be thinking of McDouchey, not now, and not ever, especially after imparting her with such cruel and hateful words.

"I go back in and wait for the bomb squad. You leave. You _all_ leave," Burke's authoritative words were directed at his entire surgical team, all of whom had been pacing the hallway ever since the Latina carried out the Attending's previous orders.

Nearly all of them obeyed, but a few stood their ground. Alex had actually taken a few steps toward the elevator when he realized that Celia wasn't by his side. Turning around, hazel orbs shone imploringly at her, though a hint of resignation could be detected, "CeCe, you coming?"

And like an echo, Meredith's voice resounded in the recess of her mind: _I have a feeling_.

Celia felt like Meredith's ominous prediction was _her_ responsibility. Nine-year-old Celia was defenseless to stop the imminent death from occurring, but maybe – _hopefully!_ – twenty-six-year-old Celia would have better luck.

"I can't," she whispered. Alex took a step toward her and meshed their hands together, "Celia, please. You're my best friend, my first friend, I can't-, I can't lose you."

The Latina smiled brightly, "You won't. I just can't leave, I can't."

"I'll stay with you the-"

"No!" she hastily interjected, eyes wide with fear, she couldn't let Alex die on her watch. She didn't think she could survive watching another loved one die right before her very eyes. "No. I need you to take care of the others for me. Stop them from doing anything stupid, like coming up here. You hear me?" More resigned than ever, knowing that against Celia's stubbornness, he'd lose, Alex glumly nodded and after parting Celia with a tight embrace, he departed.

Sucking in a deep breath, Celia collected her bearings and turned to confront Burke, who had been intently watching the affectionate dynamic between the two interns with interest. "You need a surgical team, Dr. Burke. Once, once _it's_ out, you'll need to have a team in place."

Unable to argue with the logic of her statement, Burke nodded, "Fine. But you wait by the elevator. I don't want anybody in here that doesn't need to be in this OR. When the bomb squad arrives we'll take it from there. Until then Milton and I are doing this alone. Now, go."

Celia wanted to argue, having a bad feeling about Milton; his strong reaction regarding the live unexploded ammunition in Mr. Carlson left the Latina with a bitter aftertaste and she didn't trust Hannah – the poor girl could die, and Celia didn't feel comfortable referring to her with condescending names – or the patient with the senior anesthesiologist. Unfortunately, whenever Burke used that damn tone that brooked no argument, Celia was faced with no other choice but to obey and she grudgingly followed the three remaining members of the surgical team toward the elevator.

Seconds… minutes… hours…

Celia didn't know how long she paced in dizzying circles by the elevator trying to settle her nerves and think of a solution to the dreary situation, when the elevator doors slid open and the bomb squad, all clad in black, stepped out, a handsome dark-haired and dark-eyed man with an olive complexion, pronounced cheekbones and a stern 'I-don't-take-shit-from-anyone' expression that kind of reminded her of Bailey, in the lead.

As though driven by a magnetic force, the leader's dark gaze collided with Celia. He swiftly assessed her before speaking in a gruff voice, "You're the surgical team?"

"Yes," Celia curtly nodded.

The leader introduced himself, pragmatic and to the point, "Dylan Young, bomb squad." He then addressed his squad, and Celia instantly detected the qualities of a natural born leader and the mind of a tactician, just by hearing the way he spoke and the obedience and respect that colored his squad's features, "All right, spread out and check the area and then we'll secure the patient." He turned back to Celia, "Where are they?"

She pointed to the OR down the hall, "Dr. Burke has them in there." She then proceeded to assure Dylan that the entire floor had been evacuated. Instructing them to remain by the elevator was interrupted by a member of his squad, "We've got people over here!"

" _What_?" Celia gasped, her heart beating violently against her ribcage, for she instantly deduced who it could be: other than Mr. Carlson, Bailey's husband had been scheduled for surgery at the exact same time, diagnosed with a depressed skull fracture and epidural hematoma that strictly fell under neuro, in other terms, Derek Shepherd's domain, and the surgical interns on the case were–

Dylan snapped his furious gaze toward Celia, ready to rebuke her, but upon seeing the look of stark fear on her face, he redirected his attention toward his squad, ordering them to evacuate the premises. Naturally, Celia should have known her two persons didn't take well to being ordered around by some stranger and their curiosity wouldn't allow them to drop the subject. Cristina and Meredith were both blocking a member of Dylan's squad from entering the OR.

"Back up!" Cristina hissed at the squad member. Meredith nodded almost _too_ innocently, and jutted her chin toward the Korean as she addressed the guy, "I'd listen to her. She will hurt you."

Rolling her eyes, Celia bypassed the irate Dylan and rushed over to confront her twisted friends, "Meredith, Cristina, you need to leave."

"What's going on?" Meredith demanded, holding her chocolate orbs with her striking green gaze, a clear warning that her best friend would not tolerate any lies. Sighing in defeat – _Wow_! That must've been how Alex felt. Respect to the guy, seriously. – Celia briskly revealed, "Bomb in a body cavity."

In a very Cristina-esque manner, she groaned, "Man. All I got is Bailey's husband's open brain." Simultaneously, them being on the same wavelength, the twisted sisters smacked Cristina on an arm each, neither of them seeing what exactly was so _lucky_ about a bomb.

"Excuse me," the stern and snappish sound that Celia, even with her back turned, identified to belong to Dylan, cut into their conversation. The three interns whipped around to face him, his expression anything _but_ amused, "Stop talking!" and without further ado, he shouldered past Cristina and Meredith and barged into Derek's OR.

Celia, Meredith and Cristina remained at a perfectly good hearing range as the leader of the bomb squad and the Head of Neuro argued with one another.

"Dr. Shepherd there's an explosive device in the OR next door. I need you to evacuate _now_."

Celia snorted, _like that's gonna happen_. Unseen to the Latina, Dylan's composed façade twitched, having heard her.

"Yeah and I've got a guy who's brain is exposed on this table," came the immediate retort. "I'm not going to walk away and leave him to die. The rest of you can go," he addressed his surgical team. And mirroring Burke's team, the majority tucked tail and scampered off.

Dylan was not a happy camper. "You close him up. You do whatever you have to do. The Chief of Surgery has authorized to tell me you _cannot_ stay here."

Meredith leaned forward to whisper in Celia and Cristina's ears, "Fat chance of _that_ happening. The Nazi is definitely scarier than the Chief." And backing her comment up, Derek's voice could be heard loud and clear, his decision unwavering, "The Chief of Surgery doesn't scare me. Dr. Bailey scares me. I'm not going to be the one to let her husband die. And that's what would happen if I put his skull flap on in this condition. Bomb or no bomb. Now get out of my OR."

Frustrated, Dylan slammed the door shut and the three interns avoided his gaze.

Celia was grateful for Meredith and Cristina, both of whom remained by her side and kept her company, keeping their silence while she rehashed the entire grueling confrontation that occurred between her and Derek after he caught her and Kane in the on-call room. She could practically feel the apoplectic rage radiating from them on either side of her, but they faithfully dropped the subject, knowing that Celia didn't want to linger longer than needed to be on the heartbreak she would never admit to.

Meredith changed the subject, her eyes darkened with fury and her tone neutral as she commented on Mr. Carlson's scans that Burke and Dylan were conversing over in the X-ray Room. "So how are they going to remove that ammo without killing Hannah and James?" she pondered aloud, and it worked, as Celia's brain went into overdrive, her acute gaze studying the scans from afar in hopes of locating a beneficial solution for all of them.

Taking note of Cristina's unusual silence, the Latina tore her gaze from the scans and searched for her, only to find her stealthily making her way down the corridor. " _Cristina_!" she hissed, making her way over to the Korean with Meredith hot on her heels. "The bomb squad guy said you're supposed to stay _away_ from there!"

Peering into the OR through the window on the door, Cristina sucked in a sharp intake of breath, "Dr. Milton ditched!"

" _Oh my God_!" Celia gasped, eyes wide; Hannah's entire form was shaking with fear, tears rapidly streaming down her face as she squeezed the ambu bag by herself and tried to keep her hand steady on the live ammo. "I knew that jackass would leave! I should've trusted my instincts!" The Latina swore to herself and didn't even hesitate to barge into the room, joining a pale and hysterical Hannah's side.

Meredith, having had more time to endear herself to the young paramedic before she got transferred to Shepherd's service, calmly addressed her, "Hannah, where's the anesthesiologist?"

"He um… he left. He didn't want to die. Said something about p-pink mist," Hannah cried out.

Cristina stood rooted to the door, staring at Hannah with wide eyes while Meredith stood before the patient, eyes never leaving the skittish paramedic. Celia on the other hand, cautiously made her way around Mr. Carlson and approached Hannah, treating her as if she were a caged animal and any hasty movement would terrify her and make her scamper off. Alarm bells were ringing in the Latina's head; Hannah needed to calm down or they could all end up dead – pun _intended_.

"Hannah," Meredith made another attempt, but the paramedic wasn't listening, too absorbed in her current predicament. "I think I'm going to take my hand out now," but the girl was talking to herself, _convincing herself_ to let go of the bomb, her surroundings and the three interns watching on in horror completely unnoticed by her.

Celia and Meredith joined forces, imparting soothing words to Hannah in an attempt to keep her hand in place. Cristina however, didn't have much faith in the skittish girl – _ahem_ , not that Celia did either – and yelled loudly in the hopes of gaining Burke and Dylan's attention, "Hey, somebody help! _Help here_!"

The last thing Dylan and Burke expected when they stormed into the OR was to see a frantic Cristina pumping the ambu bag, Meredith by her side as she attempted to calm Hannah down and Celia, staunchly beside Hannah, her hand hovering over Mr. Carlson's gaping wound in case Hannah ripped her hand off.

"I-I think I'm going to take it out now," Hannah stuttered. Celia lowered her hand, her palm almost brushing the paramedic's wrist.

"Hannah, you can do this. _Listen to me_ , we'll get through this together, we're almost to the finish line. You _can_ do this." That's what Celia said. Her mind however, screamed in a shrill voice: _she's gonna abort! She_ _ **can't**_ _do this! The bomb's gonna explode any minute now!_

Crying hysterically, Hannah frantically shook her head, her vision blurred with tears. "No, no. No, I just want to take it out and be done with it."

Burke stepped in, his gaze flickering in worriment from Cristina to Hannah, and Celia didn't need to be a telepathic to know that the Attending was terrified for his girlfriend's life as the Korean was in close proximity to a _freaking_ bomb. "Hannah. It won't be much longer. Remember you're keeping him from bleeding out," he soothingly informed her, the soft tone in which he spoke resembling a doting parent's when talking to their child.

 _Oh, no pressure, though_ , a snarky voice echoed in Celia's head.

"She's panicking," Dylan addressed Burke, his calm exterior cracking at the conundrum. "We need to clear the room."

"I'm not leaving!" Meredith stubbornly snapped.

" _Yes_ , you are. So help me Meredith Grey if you don't leave I'll drag you out of this room kicking and screaming and Cristina'll help me!" Celia glowered at her best friend; like hell would her sister die on her today. Cristina nodded in wholehearted agreement, "I will."

Dylan turned to Burke, his tone urgent, "Get everyone out _now_ , Dr. Burke."

What happened next, Celia likened it to the effects of Pandora's Box. The jar opened up at that exact moment, and all the evils flew out, affecting everyone within reach and causing a tumultuous discord in the OR. Dylan began shouting at the top of his lungs, both him and Burke trying to express as much authority in their tone, demanding that the three interns leave posthaste. Hannah was literally screaming to herself, under pressure and terrified, evoked by Dr. Milton's lengthy and colorful description of 'pink mist', her hand slowly inching out of Mr. Carlson's gaping wound. Celia ignored the screaming match revolving around her and fixated her entire attention on the young paramedic, everything moving in slow motion, like it did in the movies before all hell broke loose, her words of comfort going completely ignored.

And then suddenly, Hannah screamed so loud, "I HAVE TO! I HAVE TO!" that the effects of Pandora's Box retreated back into the jar, all eyes on the paramedic as her hand, in the blink of an eye, was pulled out.

Burke, Dylan and Cristina, as though rehearsed beforehand, ducked, hitting the ground and waiting for the inevitable explosion, Burke's entire form shielding Cristina's. Hannah's footsteps echoed loudly in the OR as she scampered off as though the hounds of hell were on her trail, only a bloody handprint left on the wall as evidence of her presence. Only Meredith stood rooted to her spot, tears welling in her eyes and alarm bells ringing in her eardrums as she stared at her sister in utmost horror.

" _What did you do_?" the dirty-blonde, green-eyed intern whispered in an ominous hush. Her words, coupled with the lack of explosion prompting the three on the ground to slowly get onto their feet, all three of them having an identical expression of horror as Meredith as they stared wide-eyed at the Latina.

Celia, for her part, acted wholly on instinct. The moment Hannah made her decision, in slow motion, Celia recognized the determination on her sister's face and her resolute movement, fully prepared to take Hannah's place, and she couldn't allow it to happen, so she beat her to the punch, her hand easily sliding into the gaping wound like it belonged there. Meredith would not die on her watch!

Rendered speechless and accepting Meredith's prediction, Celia kept a steady hand on the live ammunition, Meredith's tearful words resonating in the room like a broken record, "What did you do? What did you do, Celia? _What did you do_?"

 **To Be Continued…**

 **A/N:** **I apologize for the long wait! I'll have the next chapter out by the end of next week –** _ **hopefully**_ **!**

 **I don't really have much to say, other than, I'm sorry about Derek. Honestly, it killed me to portray him in such a harsh light and have him say those un-Derek-like words to Celia. To those who watched Season 5: Remember the pregnant patient that died in Derek's OR? The one with the tumor? Remember how he isolated himself in his trailer and was a complete ass to Meredith? How he tossed the engagement ring with a baseball bat?** _ **Yeah**_ **?...well, I took inspiration from that scene. When Derek's angry (more like** _ **furious!**_ **) he's VERY mean and he sometimes says things he doesn't mean and would later come to regret. I portrayed that part of his character in this chapter. Maybe I made him too OOC but hey, this is a** _ **fan**_ **fiction, and it was totally necessary for the progression of my story.**

 **However, that's all gonna change next chapter… how do you think Derek's gonna feel when he finds out that Celia might die and he's the one who put her there? If he kept her on his service, then maybe she wouldn't be holding a bomb. Right?**

 **Some of you may be pissed 'cause Celia totally stole Meredith's moment… I dunno. Like I mentioned before, Celia won't always steal Meredith's thunder, but in this case it had to happen. You see, Celia is VERY protective of Meredith, and like hell would she allow her twisted sister to hold a damn bomb. In canon, while Meredith had Cristina, their relationship at that point had yet to be close as in: I'd take a bullet for you. It's still too early. But Meredith here, in my story, has a family: Celia. And like an overprotective sibling, Celia wouldn't allow her to place herself in jeopardy. But don't worry, Meredith will have a huge role, it's close around the corner, especially when Season 3 comes around, ;)!**

 **I was thinking of keeping Alex in the OR floor. I was** _ **really**_ **tempted to have him stick by Celia's side, and therefore, the twisted interns would all be together in the same place, but then I thought of how Alex and Izzie had sex and fixed their relationship and decided it needed to happen for the sake of the future chapters.**

 **Did you enjoy the small flashback? Next chapter, I'll have another one to those that are interested.**

 **And one last note… did you enjoy the scenes with Kane Greene? The beginning scene, I wanted to show how he differs from Derek, and how his dynamic with Celia is (and** _ **no**_ **, they are not a couple or in love. I'm thinking of making their relationship similar to Mark's & Callie's, what do you think?). Also, I wanted to show Celia get along with Izzie and George since I haven't written much about them. Was the sex scene too much? This **_**is**_ **M Rated, so I hope you enjoyed it! XD**

 **Spoiler** **: Dylan goodies next chapter. I have plans for him! ;)**

 **R &R.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

 **A/N:** **Celia Chávez – Melanie Iglesias.**

 **Kane Greene – Warren Christie.**

 **Chapter 26:**

Somehow, and Celia does _not_ know how, but as the ringing silence stretched in the OR, silence brought upon purely by the emotion of shock, shock of what _she_ had done, Celia Chávez accepted her fate and had come to terms with the inevitable path laid out before her.

 **In hospitals they say you know. You know when you're going to die.**

How, do you ask? _How_ can she be so calm, holding a bomb with her bare hand that could detonate at any minute, with a fraction of a movement, just a mild twitch of a finger? How'd Celia Chávez regain composure in the midst of a situation that seemed impossible? Simple. For starters, Celia was a realist and had accepted the fact that the likelihood of her clawing her way out of this impossible predicament _she_ had landed herself into, was _very_ low, practically nonexistent. Another reason? It was either her or Meredith, and Celia chose accordingly, out of love and sisterly protection.

 **Some doctors say it's a look patients get in their eyes. Some say there's a scent. The smell of death… Something.**

They say that everybody has a guilty pleasure – and Celia was no exception. All her life, Celia looked up to her father, and wished to follow in his footsteps regarding a profession in the medical field, and by the age of thirteen, she was adamant that one day, she'd be the best surgeon in history. One for the books. A surgeon that, even decades after taking her last breath, and decomposing underground, she'd be a notable figure, one spoken of in reverent tones, and one regarded as a venerable role model. But despite her goals and her dreams, whilst in Dartmouth, Celia took an elective irrelevant to medicine, her guilty pleasure: Mythology.

Celia had always been fascinated with the body of myths belonging to a plethora of cultures, and after tragedy struck her more times than she could count, Celia Chávez – unlike other girls her age who preferred to engross themselves in fiction tales that bled of romance where the girl _always_ got the handsome guy and lived happily ever after in an idyllic house with a white picket fence, a golden retriever and two point five kids, driving them to soccer practices and ballet recitals in a minivan… you know, the usual – would escape her problems by delving deep into the many clusterfucks of mythology.

One such spellbinding myth that fascinated her was the Fates, the Moirai. Three sisters; incarnations of destiny and life. You see, the Moirai were austere deities, old and emaciated in appearance but nevertheless tremendously powerful beings. Clotho spun the thread of life, Lachesis fashioned lives and measured each individual's thread of life, and lastly, the inevitable sister, the inescapable one, Atropos; she who chose how someone died by cutting the thread of life with her ominous shears.

 _The point?_

In the ringing silence, Celia's brain deliriously conjured the Moirai, standing beside the bloody handprint Hannah left imprinted on the wall, three identical milky-white eyes affixed onto her frame, the middle one holding a large shear that glinted sinisterly under the fluorescent lighting, a ball of yarn, _her thread of life_ , dangerously held in the balance of life and death.

 **There's just some kind of sixth sense. When the great beyond is heading for you. You feel it coming.**

"What did you do? What did you do, Celia? _What did you do_?"

She blinked and the mirage faded away.

 **Whatever it is, it's creepy.**

"What did you do? _What did you do_? _Oh god_! What did you _do_?"

 **Because if you know. What do you do?**

"Cristina," Celia's calm voice, anomalous to the certain circumstance, rang over Meredith's panicked mantra. "Do me a favor and calm Mer down, please."

 **Forget about the fact you're scared out of your mind.**

That shut Meredith up and she joined Cristina, Burke and Dylan as they stared at her, four dissimilar orbs reflecting identical emotions of disbelief.

"Calm down?" Meredith suddenly shrieked. Her eyes were manic and her expression contorted into fury. "How _did_ you expect me to react, Celia? What… _what_ possessed you to do that?!" she demanded, eyes burning with fire.

Dylan nodded in agreement. Usually, when a bomb was about to detonate, natural human reaction, the human instinct to survive genetically hardwired into every living organisms' brain, was to head for cover and pray for the best. _Not_ jump headfirst into danger.

Emotionless chocolate orbs softened as they collided with the furious green glare of her twisted sister's. There was a crack in her stoic countenance, though a stern quality flashed in her eyes as she responded to Meredith's furious inquiry, "It was you or me, Mer. I _saw you_. I've always been able to get a perfect read on you." Celia's visage sharpened, glaring at her in disapproval, "The moment Hannah pulled her hand out, _I saw you_. You edged closer and your hand automatically reached forward. I made a decision, and I don't regret it. It was either _you_ or _me_. And I chose myself."

Shock surmounted and Meredith sucked in a sharp intake of breath, the Latina barely recognizable due to the amount of tears welling in her eyes. " _Oh, Celia_ ," she cried, and if Celia weren't mistaken, Meredith was staring at her mournfully, as though she were already planning her funeral.

 **If you knew this was your last day on Earth, how would you want to spend it?**

 ****GA****

The door swung open, which prompted an exasperated sigh to escape Derek's lips. He was under a lot of pressure and had no time for interruptions. Three-quarter of his surgical team fled the vicinity, including his interns, the leader of the bomb squad kept hounding him to leave the OR floor, and Bailey's husband's life was _literally_ in his hands. Suffice to say, Richard jinxed Seattle Grace the second he started to complain about the 'quiet board'.

"Dr. Shepherd?"

Surprise flittered on the neurosurgeon's features, for he had been preparing himself for Round Two with the bomb squad. "Dr. Burke," he acknowledged him, his calculating orbs never once detaching from his patient.

"How's it going?"

Despite his previous irritation with Burke for insisting on the formality between them, calling him _Dr. Shepherd_ while he addressed Addison by her name _and_ for the blatant show of favoritism he bestowed upon Celia, relief consumed him. Unlike the bomb squad, Preston Burke was a surgeon first, and he more than anybody, knew the importance of saving lives, and therefore Burke wouldn't press for Derek to abandon his patient and save his own skin. "He's got a second bleed under the skull base. If I do what the textbooks say, he could lose the power of speech, herniate through the first craniotomy and die."

Burke made a humming noise, processing the onslaught of grave information, "What's your other option?"

He chuckled dryly. "Well if I do what I wanna do… he could lose the power of speech, herniate through the first craniotomy and die," he repeated, the light at the end of the tunnel becoming dimmer by the minute.

"Well good luck with that," Burke dismally supplied.

Derek's gratitude was accompanied by another dry chuckle and he turned to look at Burke from over his shoulder, "Is there something you want?" finally reaching the crux behind Burke's visit.

The dark-skinned Attending evaluated his fellow Attending with a solemn gaze. "You know it was really stupid of you not to evacuate?" he said, almost conversationally, like they were simply discussing the weather in Seattle as opposed to an unstable and heavily unreliable bomb nesting in a patient's body cavity that could go off at any moment, without warning.

Derek nodded then jutted his chin forward, "You too."

"Yeah I know," Burke sighed, crossing his arms together. His mind traveled to his OR, his thoughts despondent as he recalled the dangerous situation one of his favorite interns was currently in. His brave yet stupid intern. Thankfully, Derek's next words shook him from the morbid images his brain conjured, "We should consider a change in profession."

A half-smile formed on Burke's face, lightly agreeing with Derek. Sighing wearily, Derek looked back at his patient, "Gotta say I don't wanna be the guy that kills Bailey's husband."

Burke tilted his head in a gesture of agreement, "Well I don't want to be the guy that kills us all." While he spoke with a straight face, inwardly he was grimacing, as all their lives were no longer in _his_ hands, but a certain frigid and impassive Latina's that he knew for certain meant a great deal to the neurosurgeon before him, despite his litany of denials. In fact, Burke was _astounded_ the Chief had yet to hear about the barrage of rumors regarding his goddaughter and his married friend, and ascertain for himself whether they were true or false. Too lost in his indecision, his hesitation seemed to have captured reason for concern out of Derek.

"Something else you wanted to tell me?"

 _Should he?_ Dark brown connected with a pair of concerned overly bright blue eyes. Shaking his head, Burke plastered on a tight-lipped smile, "No. Nothing."

"You sure? Look like you have something you want to get off your chest," Derek observed keenly. Not wanting to be the cause of distracting Derek from Bailey's husband by being the bearer of bad news, and wanting to escape the uncomfortable situation he had walked into, Burke simply nodded, "Dr. Shepherd."

As he turned to leave, Derek let out a sad sigh and responded in kind, "Dr. Burke."

He was left once again with the silence of the OR and his deteriorating patient, but this time, when the door slammed shut, Derek felt as though Burke had left behind a feeling of foreboding, one that didn't bode well for him.

 ****GA****

As Dylan slowly strapped a flak jacket onto Celia from behind, she remained ramrod straight, hand on the live ammunition unmoving, and her face impassive. Meredith and Cristina also wore jackets of their own that Dylan distributed, and while the latter kept herself busy by squeezing the ambu bag to provide Mr. Carlson with the necessary oxygen, the former focused her solemn unblinking gaze on the Latina, as though she were committing to memory every aspect of her features before she spontaneously combusted into pink mist, unnerving Celia with the intensity of her stare.

"You realize how _stupid_ that was," Dylan's breath fanned the nape of her neck as he strapped the last buckle and pulled away from her, leaving Celia with a confused tingling sensation. However, the only emotion vivid of the Latina's face was irritation once Cristina snappishly vocalized her agreement, "It was Celia. _Incredibly stupid_!"

Celia rolled her eyes, "Tell me how you _really_ feel." Met with two deadpanned glares and Meredith's unblinking, unnerving stare, the impassive intern huffed, a strand of hair blowing away from her face in the process, "Look! Let's just get one thing straight here, okay? I know, _believe me_ , I know I did a stupid move, and I'd like nothing more than to wrench my hand out and walk away, but then we'll all blow up. So, how about we keep the snarky commentary to ourselves while I've got my hand wrapped around a freaking _bomb_. Agreed?" Dylan and Cristina silently acquiesced by turning away and appeased, Celia glared daggers at her twisted sister, "And can you _stop_ with the staring! You're freaking me out."

"Ugh, _seriously_?" Cristina scoffed, eyes unusually round in disbelief. "Mer's _staring_ is freaking you out and _not_ the fact that you've got your hand on a bomb?!"

Dylan shook his head, wondering what he had gotten himself into, "You really need to sort out your priorities, lady."

The Latina's eyes were practically spitting fire at them, "Since when did you two jump aboard the same train?!" Dylan grimaced and Cristina adopted a look of disgust, but before they could verbally argue, Meredith's voice permeated the air, her voice nothing but a chilling whisper, "I told you… _I had a feeling_."

Almost simultaneously, Dylan asked, "What's that?" and Cristina blurted out in curiosity, "Feeling? What feeling?"

Celia's eyes drifted shut, all impassiveness bleeding out to portray an expression of unmitigated pain.

 _The house was quiet. Too quiet._

 _Auntie Soph had been emotionally incapable of providing for the Reception and mingling with the funeral-goers, accepting their condolences and observing their tears. And neither was Celia._

 _It was so unlike her mother to lean a compassionate shoulder to cry on and willingly take a leave of absence from the hospital as she was_ _ **too**_ _focused on her surgical career, but then again, Ellis Grey and Sophie Chávez were two peas in a pod, and Meredith always suspected that they cared more for each other than they did their own daughters._

 _Ignoring her mother's hushed voice and Auntie Soph's hysterical wails of grief from the living room, nine-year-old Meredith climbed the stairs and padded down the hallway until she stopped by her best friend's room, biting her lower lip as her hand hovered over the doorknob, afraid to reveal what laid behind the closed door._

 _The room was dark, the only source of light that blanketed the room was the broken bedside lamp that appeared to have been hurled across the room, the light bulb flickering feebly and providing the room with an ominous on and off glow. In fact, adjusting her eyes to the dark, Meredith noted that the room was an absolute mess; objects, broken and whole, scattered on the floor, shards of glass littered everywhere and even a few doll heads had been decapitated from their bodies and tossed unceremoniously._

 _A tiny lump could be seen buried under the blankets, and Meredith's heart bled out at the sound of her best friend's agonizing sobs and pitiful whimpers. Slowly, tiptoeing around the glass, Meredith joined Celia under the blanket and simply held her close and stroked her hair like Uncle Tony used to do for her during her mother's many absences. That familiar action had Celia bawling even louder, but she didn't pull away, instead, scooching closer, seeking out the desperately needed affection._

" _I'm sorry, CeCe," Meredith finally whispered after a couple of hours, tears constantly leaking down her face._

 _Celia lifted her puffy and bloodshot eyes to meet the red-rimmed gaze and in a small, broken voice, said, "It's not your fault."_

 _After a beat of silence, Meredith asked, her voice trembling slightly, "Is there something wrong with me?"_

 _Glad for the distraction, Celia sniffed, "Why would you say that?"_

" _I told you I had a feeling. That, that something bad will happen," her voice wobbled, "and-and something did…"_

 _Celia had nothing to say to that._

"Nothing," Celia and Meredith muttered in unison, effectively ending the dreary subject, but Meredith made sure to shoot Cristina an 'I'll tell you later' look, appeasing the Korean intern. _That_ however, abruptly morphed into indignation when Burke joined them, his stance screaming authority and his eyes burning with intensity, "Time for you to go."

Horrified at the implication, Cristina stood her ground and stubbornly glared at her boyfriend, "No, I'm staying."

Dark brown orbs flickered toward Meredith, "You too."

"No way. I'm _not_ leaving Celia!" Meredith adamantly defied him, not caring about superiority or the level of hierarchy in Seattle Grace when her sister's life was hanging in the balance.

With a loud sigh, Burke pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger before leveling the two stubborn interns with an authoritative gaze, "There's nothing more you can do here. We've got it covered." When their feet remained rooted to their respective spots, he snapped, having had enough, "This is not another cool surgery. This ammo can go off at any time and kill everyone in this room. Do you get that? You can _not_ be in here."

While both Meredith and Cristina were affronted at the insinuation, Cristina beat the blonde to the punch, her gaze burning into Burke's, "Do you think this is about surgery-"

More adamant than ever, Burke interjected, and although his voice was a whisper, the others heard him loud and clear, "Cristina, I _cannot_ do this with you in here! I cannot _think_!" While left unsaid, Cristina understood him, loud and clear: Burke wouldn't be able to concentrate with Cristina in danger.

Taking advantage of her friend's speechless state, Meredith indignantly cut in, carelessly stepping on a few toes in the process, "That's all fine and dandy. Since Cristina's presence affects you, she can leave, but I'm stayin-"

"No you're not," Celia briskly interjected. Meredith whipped around to glare at the Latina in a mixture of affront, betrayal and hurt. Sharing a look of understanding with Burke, Celia squarely met Meredith's incensed gaze, "You need to leave, Mer. I _need to_ concentrate. Everybody in this room is in jeopardy, and my hand's the only thing preventing disaster. I'd feel a lot better, and I'd be able to concentrate without having to worry about you. Please, _for my sake_ , go. _Both of you_ ," her gaze flickered to meet Cristina's frightened eyes. "Stay with Alex. Make yourselves useful, just _please_ , stay as far away from this OR as possible. _Please_."

The room was encompassed with a sort of deadly silence. Dylan, who had been avidly observing the surgeons argue with each other, was now staring at the Latina in slight awe and respect; Burke looked over Christina's head to Celia with a grateful smile, his eyes shining with relief; Meredith and Cristina however, hesitated, their expressions uncertain, terrified that leaving would mean saying goodbye forever.

While the blonde-haired, green-eyed intern stubbornly held Celia's stare, Cristina slumped in defeat, recognizing the stubborn determination on the Latina's face and knowing that arguing would be useless and counterproductive. With a grudging nod, Cristina turned to Burke, black eyes captivating him due to the amount of emotion that lingered there, raw emotion he rarely ever saw on his emotionless girlfriend. "You know in the movies how there's always the heroes and then there's the other guy?" she hissed, ensuring nobody but Burke could hear her. "You know the guy sees danger and runs in the opposite direction?"

"Yes," Burke slowly drawled, staring incomprehensibly at the Korean. Solemnly, Cristina pleaded, "Be the other guy." Not waiting for the appropriate response, Cristina curtly nodded her head and strode toward the door. Pausing, she briefly held Celia's gaze, almost as if she were telepathically transmitting her concerns, before she addressed Meredith, "Mer, you coming?"

Sending a diminutive smile that could be translated as 'message received' to her person, Celia's dark orbs traveled across the room until they connected with a pair of tearful striking green. Steeling herself, a loud sigh emanated from Meredith's lips, "Don't get any stupid ideas in your head, you hear me? Don't-, don't be heroic. Be selfless for once, CeCe. Because _I swear_ , _I swear_ -" she choked out, heavy sobs intermingling with her words, "if you die on me, I'll find a way to bring you back just so I can kill you myself, _got it_?"

Chuckling, Celia, her eyes annoyingly dry that belied the slight quivering of her lower lip, said, "Love you too, Mer. Now go on, _shoo_."

And with that peculiar yet heartwarming parting, Meredith and Cristina turned their backs on the inauspicious predicament, departed the ominous OR, and stepped into the eerily vacant and silent hallway.

They loitered by the elevator, Cristina's hand hovering anxiously by the button, her fingertip lightly brushing it, when all of a sudden, as though a marionette's string had been snipped, her hand abruptly dropped and she turned to face Meredith, her resolute expression mirroring her own. Not bothering to exchange a single word, in unison, the two interns abandoned the elevator, disobeyed orders, and took large strides down the hallway, advancing OR 2.

Flak jackets discarded and effectively scrubbed in, the two interns entered the OR. Almost immediately, Derek, who had been operating on Tucker, looked up, taken aback by the sight before him. "This area has been evacuated Dr. Yang, Dr. Grey," he sharply pointed out.

"And somehow you're still here," typical Cristina with her smartass comments, most especially when addressing Derek Shepherd. He inclined his head and wisely retorted, "I have to be here. _You don't_."

" _Yes_ we do," Meredith shot back firmly, her gaze unwavering, striking green eyes portraying a stubborn streak. Utilizing an austere tone to get them to comply ended up a fruitless endeavor on his part as Meredith and Cristina each grabbed a gown and put them on. " _We do_ ," Meredith adamantly insisted.

Cristina approached the patient, and for once, when she looked at Derek, not even a sliver of hostility could be detected, "Besides, I guess you need a little company." Her gaze perused the nearly empty OR room as though to further prove her point. Sighing in resignation, the neurosurgeon nodded and continued operating. "How's he doing?" she inquired.

"He's hanging in there," Derek promptly supplied. After a brief pause, he inquired in afterthought, "How's the paramedic Hannah doing?"

Confused, Meredith looked up from Tucker and frowned, "Hannah?"

"The girl with the bomb," Derek absentmindedly elucidated.

Striking green and onyx collided, ' _he doesn't know!_ ' simultaneously reverberating in their heads. They expected Burke must have told him or any member of the bomb squad that occasionally loitered throughout the halls of the OR Floor. A vindictive part residing in Meredith wanted to spill the beans and watch as the guilt gnawed on McDouche, allowing him to shoulder the blame at having been the person responsible for placing Celia's life in jeopardy… but then again, Meredith didn't want to risk the life of Bailey's husband because her vindictiveness distracted him. Cristina, on the other hand, believed Celia was no longer _any_ of his business – he lied to her, pushed her away, nearly succeeded in breaking down her carefully crafted walls and then prompted nasty rumors about her; he called her a whore, wrongly yet blatantly accused her of selling her body for surgeries, and volleyed her with many other unforgivable words because she was starting to move on with McStudly.

Realizing that they were taking too long to provide him with an answer to a simple inquiry, he briefly tore his gaze from his patient and looked up, catching the sudden exchange between the interns. Meredith sported a wide-eyed expression while Cristina donned a grimace. "Yang, Grey? How's Hannah?"

He successfully jolted Cristina out of her reverie, yanking her gaze from Meredith's to meet his suspicious blues, "Oh, uh, she's hanging in there too."

"Really?" Derek expectantly stared between the two interns, identifying their expressions and the way they both hesitated to be similar to Burke's disposition.

A painful smile graced Meredith's features, "Yes. Everything's just _fine_." Her smile was probably meant to provide comfort, but in reality, Meredith dismally failed; Derek's suspicions escalated and he knew for certain that something had gone horribly amiss in Seattle Grace, something – going by Burke, Yang and Grey's demeanor toward his inquiries – that was purposely being kept from him for some particularly confounding reason.

Emitting a skeptical sound from his throat, Derek allowed his intense gaze to linger a while longer on the two highly uncomfortable interns, watching as they squirmed under the intensity of his gaze before turning his full concentration on Tucker; the two nearly inaudible sighs of relief not going unheard by him.

 ****GA****

He was incapable of sitting still any longer. While Izzie and George were more than fine with sitting on the floor against the lockers, upon hitting the hour mark, Alex began burning a hole in the ground as he paced in dizzying circles in an attempt to soothe the chaotic thoughts churning in his head and abolish the many worst case scenarios his suddenly overactive imagination seemed to be conjuring.

"I feel colors are brighter. Does anyone feel like colors are brighter?" George inanely blathered to fill in the gloomy silence inhabiting the locker room. He slammed the back of his head against the locker and promptly winced. "My head hurts," he whined.

Alex's jaw clenched and his knuckles whitened, but thankfully, before he could explode on George, the silence commenced once more.

Only to be broken not even five minutes later by George, who apparently decided that the heavy tension in the room could be mellowed out by more inane drivel. "Yeah, definitely brighter. And I feel like my sense of smell is better, maybe it's adrenaline." He whipped his head from Alex to Izzie, Bambi-like eyes wide with awe, "You think it's an adrenaline thing-"

Before Alex could snap, Izzie beat him to the punch, her tone borderline hysterical, " _Shut up_! _God_ , George, just _shut. up!_ Nobody cares if the blue is bluer or if you have super smelling powers! Meredith could die. Any minute she could just… _die_. Actually stop living… _Dead_ … _Corpse_ -" she drew her words out in an excruciatingly slow motion before she abruptly burst into hysterical giggles. Waving her hands overhead, her voice went up several decibels, "I'm sorry. Sorry. _God_ , I have really inappropriate reactions to this kind of stress. I'm sorry." She gathered her composure and let out a long breath, "Hold on. _Mmm_."

Alex gaped at Izzie in a mixture of shocked confusion, but again, before he could get a word in, George spoke up, "You think… should we like, do something? Call Meredith's family?" In response, Izzie started giggling again, prompting George to provide a retort to his unanswered question, his tone desolate, "We _are_ Meredith's family. I mean, well, Celia mostly, but she's here somewhere. We should tell her, let her know-"

Finally, Alex had arrived at the end of his patience and he totally blew a gasket, "Would you two _please_ , SHUT UP!"

Bewildered, George's mouth snapped shut with an audible click and Izzie's inappropriate bout of laughter died in her throat, both of them blinking up at Alex in shock.

"What the _hell_ are you two on about?" Alex furiously spat out, attempting and failing to recover his calm façade. "Meredith's perfectly _fine_ -"

Izzie scowled, interrupting him, "You're being insensitive!"

Eyebrows arched in disbelief, Alex hissed, the blissful state that mind-blowing sex with Izzie evoked, dying out like a lit match in the middle of a tornado, " _I'm_ not the insensitive one here. For your information, Shepherd kicked Celia off his service! He switched interns with Burke. Meredith's fine, she's with Cristina. Celia's the one you should be worrying about!"

"What?" Izzie whispered, shocked at the recent discovery, and George didn't look any better. Despite their differences with the Latina and the fact that she _totally_ freaked them out and at times, terrified them to death, she _was_ their friend, their roommate, their fellow intern, and despite her many flaws and her cold demeanor, and her blatantly rude remarks mostly aimed at them, Celia had heart and they knew she cared about their wellbeing irregardless of the hateful and uncaring front she portrayed to them. Bottom line, they were as equally concerned for her as they were about Meredith just a minute ago.

Shaking his head, Alex stormed toward the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" George managed to weakly call after his retreating back.

"To get in touch with Celia's family," he angrily retorted, not sparing them a backward glance as he left their vicinity, the door to the locker room forcefully closing behind him.

Ascending two flights of stairs, one destination in mind: the Chief's office, he promptly froze in his tracks upon hearing the voice of the very person he had been searching the halls for.

" _Calm down_?!" Alex warily approached the nurses' station where he could clearly see a very distressed Chief Webber, who looked like he was breathing fire down at Addison. "I have an evacuated OR. A _bomb_ in a body cavity. A _missing_ paramedic! An _intern_ , _my GODDAUGHTER_ , with her hand _on the explosive_! Two world class surgeons in harm's way! A man on a table who might bleed out at any moment unless we _move the bomb_ from his chest! And my favorite resident in labor who you're now telling me _refuses to push_! _Really, calm down_? You really want to say to me _calm down_?" he concluded his ranter with a terrifying growl.

Putting her hands up in a pacifying motion, Addison sarcastically said, "Ok _don't_ calm down!"

Hearing movement behind him, Alex turned to see George and Izzie had, in fact, followed him from the locker room. Not wanting to waste any more time, Alex stepped up and bravely interrupted the Chief and the Attending. "Sir, uh, Chief?"

Addison, George and Izzie stared wide-eyed at Alex for the interruption and basically, his sheer exhibition of bravado in the face of an apoplectic Chief of Surgery. However, shock quickly morphed into confusion when Richard Webber whipped around, ready to blow off some more steam at the interloper, only to let out a relieved sigh at the sight of Alex. The intern in question wasn't faring any better, though he managed to mask his shock more effortlessly than the other three that surrounded the Chief.

"Karev, just the intern I was hoping to run into," Richard sighed, wearily dragging a hand down his face.

" _You were_?" Alex, Addison, George and Izzie echoed, forgetting themselves for a moment.

Snapping back to attention, Alex quickly spoke up, "Uh, Chief, I was hoping I could get in touch with Celia's family. Keep them informed…" he trailed off suggestively, suddenly uncertain on whether or not he was overstepping his boundaries. But Richard continued to surprise them, "Good. Good. I've been meaning to page you to contact them for me. You're one of Celia's closest friends in this hospital." He then proceeded to fish out his cellphone from his coat pocket and handed it over, "Call her stepfather. Noah's number three on speed dial. Let him know what's happening and then keep him well-informed. Hourly updates. Understood?"

Alex rapidly nodded his head and accepted the Chief's cellphone, "Got it, sir."

"Good," he sighed. "That's one load off my mind. And Karev," Alex paused and turned around to stare inquiringly at the Chief. "Thank you."

Half an hour later, Alex groaned into the palm of his hands, the Chief's cellphone sitting on the ground beside him. Suffice to say, the conversation with Noah Chamberlain had been intense, and it only got worse as Celia's mother began screeching down the phone like a raving lunatic. Twenty minutes of listening to Mrs. Chamberlain rant her head off, Ian saved him from an intensifying migraine, making him promise to keep him updated while he himself promised to keep Celia's she-devil of a mother away from the phones.

Somebody suddenly towered over him, and looking up, Alex mentally groaned. "Dr. Greene, uh-"

Kane put up his hand, halting him from saying another word, his expression grave and the anger lingering in his grayish-blue eyes honestly terrifying him more than the Chief's current disposition had. "Spare me the niceties, Karev. Right now, at this moment, I'm not a resident and you're not an intern. I'm not your boss. We're just two guys with a mutual friend in common."

Alex thickly swallowed the lump from his throat, realizing where Kane Greene was going.

" _Why_ , tell me _why_ is Celia the one with her hand on a fucking bomb, when she's supposed to have been in Shepherd's service?" he snarled, looking quite ferocious at the moment. Alex scratched the top of his head, expression nervous. "Don't bother lying to me," Kane warned him.

Sighing in resignation, Alex picked up the Chief's cellphone and pocketed it before he scrambled to his feet to squarely meet the resident's harsh gaze. "Look, I don't know how close you've gotten with Celia these past few days, but Shepherd and her, they've got a… sort of _complicated_ history-"

"I know all about the short time they spent together, Karev. Celia already cleared the air," Kane sighed in irritation. "Skip to the important part."

"Fine. You want to know?" and Alex's hotheaded demeanor reared its ugly head as he spat out the part Kane was most anxious to hear, "He flipped out after seeing you two in the on-call room. The guy went completely ballistic, and after… _certain uncalled for words_ were traded-" Alex spat the words out as though they were a curse, prompting Kane's eyes to flash angrily, "he kicked her off his service. He traded with Burke, Meredith for Celia."

Kane took a step forward, eyes fixated on Alex, "What did he say?"

Alex shook his head, "I can't. Look, it's personal. Unless Celia wants you to know-"

For the umpteenth time since cornering Alex, Kane interrupted him, "I may not be an Attending yet, but I _can_ and I _will_ make your life _hell_ in this hospital if you don't _tell me_. You can tell Celia I threatened it out of you later. Now. _Tell. Me_!"

Scowling furiously, Alex glared daggers at the resident and grudgingly, he proceeded to impart a detailed recapitulation of Derek's harsh and wrongful accusations.

 ****GA****

Ignoring the nameless bomb squad member who had taken over for Cristina and was currently squeezing the ambu bag, Celia dropped her emotionless mask and allowed herself to meet Burke's curious gaze – shrewd, dark orbs that had been fixated on her for the better half of an hour. She arched an eyebrow at him and waited.

Chuckling softly, Burke straightened up in the chair he had been lazily lounging on. "You intrigue me, Dr. Chávez. Like a puzzle. Can't get it out my head until I've solved it," he admitted.

"Huh." The Latina mulled his words over for a second before she granted him with a ghost of a smile, her lips softly twitching upward, "I can honestly say that I've never heard that one before." Burke simply smiled and resumed staring. Celia sighed and blew the stubborn mahogany lock from her face, "Go ahead. Ask whatever it is you want to ask. It's not like I can _go_ anywhere, nor do I have anything better to do."

"That front you put on. That mask. You are cold, impassive, incapable of showing an ounce of positive emotions. Around here, you've been granted the unflattering moniker of Cruella de Vil. Excluding Cristina, Grey and Karev, you act callously with everyone else. And yet," Burke leaned forward and propped his chin on his interlaced fingers, " _and yet_ you are compassionate, selfless, brave, you have good intentions… your compassion with the patients is astounding, many times I have witnessed the positive effects you've had on them. They favor your presence while the workers in this hospital run the other way whenever you're nearby. You're a very loud and blunt woman, unafraid to speak the truth, honest to the core, and stubborn, unwilling to allow yourself to get intimidated by your superiors. And that isn't even the tip of the iceberg. Every day, I find myself discovering more flattering and unflattering qualities about you."

The Latina deftly concealed her surprise behind a mask of indifference, only allowing an eyebrow to rise in response, "I didn't hear a question in all of that."

Burke smirked, "That's because there wasn't one. Merely an observation." Silence descended upon them once more. "All right, I've got a question for you," he finally spoke up, shrewd gaze holding her in place. "Why hasn't Richard found out about you and Shepherd? It's not exactly a secret around here."

Celia stiffened and her gaze narrowed, her frustration only growing when Burke appeared unaffected by her glare. Sighing, she rolled her eyes at him, "When it comes to me, he makes it a point not to believe rumors. I don't exactly have a good reputation when it comes to… _others_. All my life, people made it a habit to whisper words of deceit behind my back, so… I guess, since I never confided in him, he didn't have a reason to believe the rumor mill."

He regarded her with contemplative eyes, a flicker of surprise passing through them when instead of staying silent, Celia chose to instigate conversation. "So, I've got to ask… is this the _strangest_ thing that's ever happened in your OR?" sincere curiosity and a hint of amusement could be detected in her voice, despite the impassiveness of her chocolate orbs. Burke's lips twitched and he inclined his head in affirmative, "I'd have to say that it is."

"Good, because I'm _very_ competitive," Celia disclosed, her tight-lipped smile becoming warmer.

A wide smile graced Burke's face and in a matter-of-fact tone, said, "All the best surgeons are."

Before further conversation could ensue, the door softly slid shut and Dylan stepped in, and while his stoic expression could give the Latina a run for her money, she easily distinguished the apprehension burning in his dark eyes, especially when they focused on her for a mere nanosecond before colliding with Burke's inquiring gaze. Wordlessly, Burke stood and joined Dylan by the doorway and the two partook in a heated hushed conversation interspersed with two pairs of dark eyes occasionally landing on her.

Celia scowled at their behavior, recognizing its familiarity as it was a technique widely used by most surgeons, including her, when the imparting of bad news was on the horizon. Just as the Latina had had enough with the treatment, _both_ Dylan and Burke glanced at her and promptly returned to their whispered conversation.

" _Stop it_!" she hissed, chocolate browns blazing at their direction. Their incomprehensible murmurings halted and they turned to meet her furious gaze. "I'm not a patient. Neither am I some delicate flower or a porcelain doll." At Dylan's bemused stare, she harshly elucidated, "The two of you are looking at me the way we look at patients. Like I'm going to freak out at any minute. So newsflash, I'm not even in the _vicinity_ of freaking out, so whatever's bothering you just tell me straight out. I can assure you that I won't be ripping my hand out and running for my life. So spit it out!"

Dylan, a novice to such intense and frankly _eccentric_ interactions with the Latina, gaped at her, shocked into silence at her attitude and eerie blasé regarding a life and death situation that was currently, leaning more and more closer to death. Luckily however, Burke had long gotten used to Celia Chávez, her short temper and her sharp tongue, and stepped forward until he stood directly in front of her, regarding her solemnly. "The main oxygen line runs _directly_ under _this_ room," was all he provided her with, but that was all the information Celia needed to comprehend how totally screwed they – _she!_ – were.

Chocolate eyes that, by principle, should be soft and warm, had the ability of paralyzing somebody under the receiving end of their stare as the moment Celia processed Burke's seemingly simple statement, her eyes resembled an air of eeriness and there was an unsettling coldness emanating from them. Other than the small tick of her jaw, the Latina's expression remained fathomless, almost emotionless. Dylan couldn't comprehend _how_ Burke stood at ease opposite to her, not the least bit unnerved by her stony expression and icy stare, but then the intern spoke up, her voice too calm for his liking, but nevertheless, managed to snap Dylan from his private musing.

"Okay," Celia briskly nodded, eerie gaze flickering between Burke and Dylan. "So… the bomb that happens to be in my hand just so _happens to be_ under the oxygen line. _Meaning_ , if my finger so much as twitches then the bomb won't just blow _us_ into bits but the _entire hospital_ could blow up. No pressure," she humorlessly snorted; Dylan's dark orbs widened a fraction when Burke smiled wryly in response. Celia closed her eyes, the ringing silence in the room not really an aiding factor at the moment, but nevertheless, she inhaled and exhaled deeply five more times before allowing her expressionless eyes to snap open and intensely meet Dylan's unblinking stare, "Tell me you have a plan."

Dylan was uncertain on whether he should take the unnerving intern's confidence in his ability to have a solution to their dilemma as a compliment, or disconcerted at her complete lack of fear and emotion regarding the bleak circumstances she was _literally_ in the middle of. Instead, he settled for professional apathy, "We have to move. _Now_. Because frankly, I don't want to spend another minute in this room."

Celia nodded, her emotionless state now laced with a hint of skepticism, "Move? _Right_. Like I said before…I can't even wiggle a finger because we can't risk shifting the ammo, and now you're telling me we have to _roll_ _out_ the _entire_ gurney?"

"It's our safest option," Dylan firmly disclosed, his decision unwavering. Burke sighed, finally nodding in agreement, "So we move. Not a problem. We can do this." He glanced over at Celia, "You handling this, Chávez?"

Mentally, she screamed ' _like I have a choice!_ ', but externally, she solemnly agreed, "I'm handling this.''

 _So going to die…_

 ****GA****

Alex and Izzie stood in the doorway of the patient room the Chief currently inhabited – _as a patient_. Too stressed over recent events and stubbornly refusing to calm down, he suffered an anxiety attack. Now usually, the patient would be _strongly_ recommended to remain in bed, but unfortunately, Richard Webber was no _ordinary_ patient, and no sooner had the doctor assigned to him commented on his EKG being normal and then left the room, did Richard immediately spring out of bed.

" _Sir_!" a bewildered Izzie cried out, hands shooting forward as though to forcibly pin the Chief back in bed, "You should really wait until we got the blood work back."

"I'm not listening, Stevens," Richard snapped, standing on both feet and preparing to leave.

Scowling over at her pigheaded husband, Adele abruptly shot up from the chair she had been comfortably sitting on and shoved Richard back onto the bed. "You can talk to me, Dr. Stevens while Dr. Karev here," she pinpointed a nervous Alex with a pointed stare, "can update Noah on the _latest_ incident."

" _Adele_!" Richard ground out. "We don't need to disturb Noah with anything minor-"

"MINOR!" she shrieked, whirling around to glare at him fiercely, a finger wagging to and fro in disappointment. "You and I have contrasting opinions on what falls under the category of _minor_! Dr. Karev _will_ be on his way to update Noah, _now_!" she testily snapped; Alex, taking the hint, scampered off with the Chief's cellphone in hand, leaving Izzie by her lonesome to be fixated by Adele's intimidating stare. " _Well_?" she probed, standing hip-shot and sticking a hand on her waist.

Unsure about directly disobeying orders – _and from the CHIEF_ – Izzie apprehensively glanced at the couple. But in the end, the loud clearing of Adele's throat coupled with her warning glare prompted Izzie into action, "Um… _okay_. Your husband should _really wait_ until we get the blood work back for confirmation-"

"Okay! _Out_!" Richard barked out, throwing an extended arm toward the direction of the door. Imitating Alex, Izzie scurried off in his footsteps, more than glad to escape the couple's formidable presence. No more interns around to attempt to waylay him, Richard moved to stand again, "I'm getting up."

Adele stood in his way, expression fierce, "You're going to have to body check me to do so."

"Adele, _there is a bomb_!" he complained, eyes wide. She nodded curtly, "I heard. And Celia's in the middle of it. But working yourself up about it won't do you, me or her any good." She tucked him back in bed and shot him a comforting smile. "You have to have faith. Everything will work out in the end." She somehow succeeded to mask her own concern regarding Celia's situation by tackling one problem at a time, and Richard needed all the comfort she could offer.

Resigned and feeling caged, Richard grumpily acquiesced to Adele's demands and didn't bother getting up again, realizing it'd only be a fruitless attempt and a complete waste of his energy.

 ****GA****

Emulating the movement of a turtle, Dylan and two members of his squad began the arduous task of moving the gurney away from oxygen line and toward the other OR. Celia on the other hand, used all her willpower to keep her already numb hand completely still over the ammo.

"You're doing great," Dylan whispered, dark orbs meeting hers intently.

Celia nodded and swallowed back her fears; she needed a distraction. "Let's go over this again."

Acquiescing, Dylan calmly repeated the plan for the third time since its inauguration, "The device is shaped like a rocket. About 8 inches long. We're going to have everything ready. Dr. Burke's team is going to be in place. My team is going to be in place. And I'm going to ask you to take the hand that you have in Mr. Carlson, wrap it around the device-"

"And pull it out while keeping it level," Celia took over, her voice cracking and finally giving Dylan the rare opportunity to see past her disturbingly impassive demeanor.

She had been quiet and impassive the whole time, almost uncaring and certainly emotionless… frighteningly unafraid. Admittedly, Dylan had been worried that she was either in some kind of shock or most concerning, that he was dealing with a sociopath that would probably get bored and abruptly, without warning, pull her hand out for the fun of it. Now he understood that she was simply very strong-willed, brave, and in his personal opinion, one of a kind, perhaps even one in a million…

At that moment, Celia dropped her mask and laid herself bare to him, allowing him to unearth her imperfections and her genuine state of distress. Her previous flinty stare now held a certain desperation, her chocolate eyes no longer cold but warm and brimming with torment; her face, that looked as though it had been carved out of stone, shone with a desire to lean on somebody else and let them take care of her for a change. Celia's excuse? Probable chance was that she would end up dying on this OR Floor, and Dylan would be the last person she'd ever see or interact with.

"Tell me something," he prompted, drowning in her dark pools of fear and admiring her delicate beauty. Celia cocked her head, looking up at him through dark, thick lashes in confusion. "I'm distracting you, Celia. Tell me something. Anything."

Already confounded over the fact that not only did he have the unique ability to make her feel naked but that she had _willingly_ abandoned her mask for him, she was even more bemused at the alien warmth that infiltrated her veins upon hearing the sound of her name and how easily it rolled off his tongue, his gruffly modulated voice making her name sound even more exotic.

Licking her lips as she pondered over her next words, she deliberately evaded his heated gaze, which unknown to her, had followed the sensual movement of her tongue with hooded eyes. "Seventeen years ago, Meredith had a feeling," she confided in a hush, the warmth of his body seeping through her scrubs and the flak jacket as he took a step closer in order to properly hear her. "It was so… innocuous, you know? Those words coming from a nine-year-old… just four commonly used words; nothing ominous about them. It was my birthday and my Dad took me with him to his practice and… I was helpless to do anything-" her voice cracked but she determinedly pushed on, anguished eyes drowning in the dark pools gazing intensely at her. "He died in front of me. I couldn't do anything to help him. He just… dropped. No warning. _Nothing_. And today? Meredith said those exact words again and my hand's on a freaking live and unreliable ammo… I think that- that this time, I'm gonna be the one to die-"

"You're not dying today," Dylan brusquely interjected. He had finally come to realize that he wasn't just in awe of the feisty Latina, or respected her for her act of selfless bravery. No… Dylan was interested in her, her cold and warm persona capturing his attention and ensnaring him into her addicting web. Dylan was _falling for_ her… deeply!

Celia blinked, taken aback by the conviction of his words, but nonetheless, mildly chided him, "You can't know that-"

Interrupting her yet again, Dylan emphatically refuted the Latina, "You're _not_ going to die. Not today. Not under my watch. I won't _let_ you. _I promise_."

And Celia didn't know why, but she wholeheartedly believed him…

She trusted her life in his hands.

Too absorbed in their touching interaction and the alien feelings stirring inside them, they hadn't realized the amount of distance they managed to cover in their excruciatingly slow pace until two figures materialized in front of them, both of whom looked _very familiar_ –

"Meredith? _Cristina_?" Celia glowered over at them, quickly recovering from her initial shock at seeing them. Infuriated at both, the interruption of their private moment _and_ the risk their sudden presence presented, Dylan snarled, " _Stop_. Stop _right_ where you are!"

Every single individual, as well as the gurney, automatically froze in the hallway upon his command.

"What are you doing?" Cristina inquired, not at all bothered by Dylan's intimidating glare. Dodging her inquiry, he harshly snapped, "I thought Burke told you to leave. I _distinctly_ remember him telling you to leave!"

Cristina glared in response, concern briefly flickering in her features upon noticing Burke was mysteriously absent, "Where is he?"

"Prepping the OR," Dylan snapped. Cristina's witty retort was accompanied by a smug expression, "Then he'll never know, _will he_."

Celia huffed angrily, cutting into their debate, " _Screw that_! _I_ told you to leave. I explicitly recall telling you to stay as far away as possible! Does _this_ look _far_ to you? _What the hell_!"

Meredith scoffed, not at all affected by the Latina's hostile reception – after all, if the situation were reversed, she'd probably act similarly. "Come on, CeCe. The fact that you honestly believed I'd abandon you is laughable. You wouldn't if I were standing in your place. Now answer the question. Why are you moving the gurney?" she snapped sternly. Dylan arched an eyebrow at the blonde, impressed and astounded at the sheer loyalty portrayed.

With an air of resignation, Celia grudgingly acquiesced, "Turns out, the OR is directly above the oxygen line, _ergo_ to avoid blowing up the entire hospital, we have to move."

"Enough chitchatting!" Dylan yelled, effectively obliterating Meredith or Cristina's following retort. He pointed over to the adjacent hallway, "You two stay over there. _You stay over there_!" A fond smile blessed the Latina's features, her eyes twinkling over at an incensed Dylan, and simultaneously, as her twisted friends reluctantly obliged to Dylan's snappish demand, Cristina whispered in Meredith's ear, "Is it just me, or does he remind you of Celia."

Looking over at the aforementioned two, striking green eyes widened in awed disbelief as she observed the genuinely fond expression coloring her best friend's face and the sparkle of life enter her eyes as she held the leader of the bomb squad's gaze. "Oh. My. _God_!" Meredith gasped, low enough for only the Korean to hear, who bewilderly fixated her gaze on Celia. "Celia is totally into _him_! She's, she's letting her guard down. _Look_!" she subtly jutted her chin at them, ensuring that Cristina followed her gaze, "Their _both_ completely smitten!"

Cristina scoffed, though there was a soft quality in her tone, "Nothing like a life or death situation to throw caution into the wind… Or holding a bomb in your bare hand to open up to somebody," she added in afterthought, conflicted with the current predicament. It wasn't exactly the best time to begin forming attachments.

"You guys, tell me something," Celia called out to them, lips twitching in a furtive smile as she spared an amused Dylan a side-glance.

"He told me he loved me," Cristina suddenly blurted out, needing to purge. "Last night. He thought I was sleeping but I heard him say it."

In unison, Celia and Meredith intoned, "Burke loves you."

Cristina nodded before shooting Dylan, who was staring at her with an arched brow, the stink-eye, "Mind your own business."

Celia rolled her eyes, "You're going to say it back, rig-"

"Of course _not_ ," Cristina interrupted, staring at the Latina in vehement disbelief. "He didn't say it to me. He said to the _sleeping me_. Reciprocity is _not_ required. Besides he might blow up," she unnecessarily reminded them.

Meredith deadpanned, "Excellent point."

Before Celia could rebuke the Korean, the front wheels of the gurney collided into something hard, effectively halting its movements. The silence reeked with tension and Celia, for a brief instant, heard an irritating ringing in her ear. All eyes homed in on the metal bar across the floor, and in a voice of forced calm, Dylan, his hand brushing against the wrist attached to the hand over the bomb, said, "All right everybody. Let's keep placing one foot in front of the other. Nice and slow. Alright Celia, we're almost there."

The zing of electricity from where he had touched her motivated her, calming her nerves and filling her with a large dosage of confidence. "Okay. I got this," she breathed out, sending a heavily concerned Dylan a comforting smile, before she looked over at Meredith, the color completely drained from her already ivory complexion, "You _had_ to say those words this morning."

Eyes welling with unshed tears, Meredith made an attempt at a weak chuckle, her grip on an equally pale Cristina's, tightening. "I told you."

 ****GA****

Dismissed now that Celia had arrived at her destination, prepared to withdraw the live ammo from Mr. Carlson at any moment, Meredith and Cristina were left with no other option but to return to OR 2, where Derek was blissfully unaware of the cataclysmic event taking place just an OR away.

Trying to keep a lid on their tears and instill a professionally detached front, the two interns strode inside, refastened their gowns and approached the neurosurgeon. Sparing them a fleeting glance, he casually inquired, "How's it going out there?"

Meredith, not trusting herself to articulate a response without breaking down into hysterics, shot Cristina a meaningful look, delegating the task to her. Briskly, Cristina offered a vague, "Everything's fine."

"How's the girl with the bomb?" he probed.

Cristina's expression crumbled and, thankful that Derek's concentration remained fixated on Tucker, fluidly evaded his inquiry with one of her own, "How's he doing?"

"He's almost there," Derek sighed. He then addressed the scrub nurse, "Suction. Irrigate. That's great." His voice sounded lighter and his posture less tense. He continued operating on Tucker until he suddenly realized that neither Yang nor Grey supplied him with an answer – apparently, it happened to be the day's trend. "You didn't answer my question, Yang. Grey."

The blonde burned a hole into the ground while the Korean intern looked up sharply, "Sir?"

Irritated, Derek initiated eye contact, his blue-blue gaze boring into her onyx eyes, "How is the girl with the bomb?" Cristina stared back at him, conflicted. Slowly, a frown materialized on his visage, suddenly realizing that Yang's face was an unhealthy shade of white and her usually stoic demeanor was absent. " _Well_?" he demanded.

"She's-"

" _It's Celia_!" Meredith tearfully blurted out, cutting into Cristina's attempt of deception.

At hypersonic speed, Derek whipped around to stare at Meredith, comprehension settling in, now knowing the reason behind the shady behavior Burke, Yang and Grey had been emitting all day, specifically whenever he inquired for an update of the paramedic and the bomb.

" _Meredith_!" Cristina hissed, rebuking her.

But Derek didn't have a chance to rage over the amount of lies and evasion he had been spoon-fed all day. He didn't have a chance to fret over the Latina, or succumb to guilt. He wasn't even allowed a moment to inquire over _Celia's_ wellbeing. Because at that moment, the heart monitor connected to Tucker flat-lined, requiring all hands on deck and no opportunities for stray thoughts.

" _Damn it_ we're losing him," Derek snapped, quickly ordering the scrub nurse to push one of epi.

Snapped out of her depression, Meredith professionally yelled, "Thready pulse!"

"Epi in!"

When nothing happened, Derek beckoned for Meredith and Cristina to congregate around him. "We're gonna roll him on three. Okay let me know when everybody's ready… Let's go! We gotta go. Come on! _Let's go_!"

Cristina began performing manual CPR and things continued to look bleak for Tucker. Eventually, Cristina stopped CPR as Meredith adamantly squeezed the ambu bag. The ominous flat-lining noise echoed in the room and panicked, Derek ripped off all the surgical equipment he had on and pushed everyone out of the way, starting CPR himself.

He didn't know if he was letting out all of his frustrations, his guilt, his rage, his jealousy at himself on the performance of CPR. All Derek knew was he couldn't lose this patient. He couldn't think about Celia, her delicate and skilled hands holding a live bomb _all day_ , or that her life on the line… his jealousy that put her there. All the hurtful and hateful words he so callously spat at her reverberating in his head, fusing with the flat-line of the heart monitor. The look of utter anguish he was on the receiving end of after he was done accusing her, and lastly, her final words to him…

" _I wish I never accepted that drink."_

" _That night. At Joe's. The first night we met. I wish I never accepted the drink you sent me. I wish that, that the first time we met was when I approached you regarding Katie Bryce. I wish we never had sex, and I wish I could change the past. Stop your wife from cheating on you, and stop you from ever coming to Seattle. I wish I never knew you."_

Tears unknowingly blurred his vision, expression despondent, and with one grief-stricken yell that reverberated in the OR, Derek slowly backed away and brought down his raised fist against Tucker's chest with all the energy his enraged and guilt-ridden state could muster, emitting a loud _thump_.

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_

The heart monitor rejoiced as it came to life, Tucker's heart rate rising up signaling that he had escaped death's clutches.

 ****GA****

 _Derek_.

And with that thought, _that_ _name_ that suddenly echoed like an unwanted mantra in the recess of her mind, Celia's self-hatred massively grew.

"I'm going to extend the wound. When I cut, the bleeding is going to intensify. If we're going to save Mr. Carlson you have to pull the ammo out immediately," Burke revealed, his voice bringing her back to the present as Dylan's quickly followed with an urgent reminder, "But remember, remove it while keeping it as level as possible. Nice and easy. No quick movements. _Level_."

Sucking in a deep breath, Celia nodded and voiced out her agreement, watching the cut Burke created with the scalpel.

"I'm good. She can go," Burke announced.

 _Moment of truth._

Dylan couldn't mask the palpable worry from his voice, his professional apathy failing him as, for the first time in his entire career he had fallen in love on the job, "All right now Celia. Wrap your hand around the nose cone… Celia?"

The mirage had returned.

Chocolate eyes were staring at a point somewhere over Burke's shoulder, focused on an empty space in the air; the Moirai had appeared to her again, but Celia's gaze connected with the milky-white eyes of the emaciated wizened woman in between her sisters. Atropos, holding a ball of yarn with one hand, and the other a large shear that glinted ominously, and in an excruciatingly slow motion, it snipped a thread. … _The thread of life_.

Burke called out her name, "Chávez?"

 _Derek… Derek… Derek…_

" _Celia_?"

The familiar gruff voice, the caress of her name on his tongue, it caused both, the mirage and Derek to fade away, and blinking, Dylan's face swam into view, his brow furrowed in concern and his dark gaze locked to hers like magnets. And suddenly, Celia realized that Dylan had the potential to be _that_ someone who could save her from her fatal attraction to the neurosurgeon, who could, in time, abolish the love of the most detrimental kind that she felt towards Derek, who could heal her from her haunted past. Dylan was a man who had the possibility of being her anchor, her savior.

Blinking into focus, Celia cleared her throat and stared between Burke and Dylan, her voice quivering and her eyes shining with acceptance. She lifted her free hand and pulled down her scrubs mask, "Meredith should rent out my room. Maybe give it to Alex. I don't want it to be kept as some sort of shrine to me," she squarely met Burke's shocked stare.

" _No_!" Dylan emphatically interjected, fear gripping his heart as the meaning behind her words dawned on him. "You hear me-"

"You should make sure-" Celia calmly spoke over him, turning to meet Dylan's frantic eyes for a moment before looking back at Burke, "make sure that Meredith doesn't fall in the deep end. I need _you_ and Cristina to help her, help her move on. Take care of Cristina for me, and Mer and Alex and tell them that they're some of the most important people in my life. Tell George and Izzie that I-, that I don't hate them; I never did. And tell my mother that I forgive her. Tell my family that I love them _so_ much." She sucked in a sharp breath and ignored Dylan as he continuously shook his head, grateful that Burke at least, was taking her seriously.

 _Tell Derek that you're in love with him… that he managed to awaken your soul and open your heart and allow your mind to ponder over the possibility of being loved and cherished and taken care of… Tell Derek that you're haunted by the what-could-have-been's and the if-only's… Tell Derek that loving him was like coming out of a dream, that the short time you spent with him was the happiest you've been in years… Tell Derek that the love you feel for him is real and magical… Tell Derek that-_

"And one last thing," Celia inhaled deeply, her lips parted and her dark orbs solemn. "There's a cardboard box hidden in the back of my closet in my room. I need you to tell Meredith that under no circumstances can _anyone_ open it and that I need her to burn it."

Burke inclined his head in agreement.

"Look at me, Celia." Celia acquiesced, unable to conceal her fear in front of Dylan. " _Nobody's dying today_ ," he passionately informed her, his previous promise ringing in her ears. "You can do this. It'll be over in a second. You _can_ do this," he softly reassured her, eyes blazing with a gentle passion and… _was that love?_

Celia nodded, her gaze drifting to her hand. "I can do this," she repeated. Celia shoved her fear deep down into the darkest recesses of her being and padlocked the door, and slowly, keeping her hand level, successfully pulled the bomb out. Then, she carefully deposited the bomb into Dylan's outstretched hands and _finally_ let go.

Dylan smiled at her and whispered, "You did good." before he promptly moved away from the operating table, allowing Burke to start operating on Mr. Carlson.

It was as Dylan disappeared out the door did Celia recognize that something had been off with his parting smile… that the look in his eyes resembled the one Meredith had given her before, a look that implied he was committing her face to memory because—

" _No_!" she whispered to herself before rushing out the door and after Dylan, ice filling her veins and her heart pounding painfully against her ribcage as the realization settled in. She rounded the corner and her gaze connected with Dylan's back.

Like in the movies, it happened in slow motion…

Just as Dylan was a few steps away from another member of his squad who stood before him, ready to receive the bomb, it detonated. The explosion was loud and deafening, her ears ringing painfully with its echo; the force so strong that her entire form flung backward and she landed on her back with a loud _thud_.

 _The sound of the gunfire reverberated in her ears and echoed in the confined space._

 _She flinched at the deafening noise and the explosive crack in the air._

" _DADDY!"_

She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision and then, she simply stared in disbelief.

Celia didn't care about the debris, the blood and the flesh that caked her entire form. She barely spared a second glance at the destroyed hallway, the scrub rooms and the windows. She couldn't feel her own wounds inflicted by the blast. All Celia cared about, was the fact that Dylan had vanished into thin air, nowhere to be seen, not even a limb or a pinky finger. Just flecks of flesh and blood…

 _That's what the bomb squad calls you when you blow up… Pink mist._

Overwhelmed with grief, dark spots infiltrated her vision and she gladly welcomed the darkness of oblivion.

 ****GA****

"Alright people! They're coming up," Richard announced as nearly the entire staff of Seattle Grace crowded by the elevators, awaiting the survivors to step out.

Adele had grabbed her husband's hand in a tight grip, concerned for her niece. Alex, Izzie and George were congregated nearby, waiting on tenterhooks.

Finally, the doors slid open, revealing Derek and Burke. Exchanging meaningful looks, Burke smiled, "Derek." acknowledging his name and therefore, admitting that they were friends now after the horrifying episode they lived through. Derek's face split into a small grin, "Preston."

The two world class surgeons stepped out and approached the throng, but Derek had eyes for only one person and frantically scanned through the sea of people, his heart clenching painfully upon realizing that _she wasn't there_ …

"Where is she?" Derek anxiously shouted, eyes slightly manic as he walked over to Richard.

The Chief half-heartedly glowered at him, "You _had_ to be a cowboy."

But Derek's concentration was elsewhere, and he frantically repeated, "Where, _where is she_?"

There was a slight sparkle in Richard's eyes in response to Derek's anxiousness and unadulterated desperation, inwardly ecstatic that his dearest friends were beginning to patch up their broken marriage. He gestured over to Addison, who promptly launched into Derek's arms and his smile threatened to split his face in half. _That was until_ Adele voiced a peculiar observation that had his smile dim and his confusion escalate.

Adele, intimately recognizing the expression a husband wears when their heart pumped for another woman, leaned close and whispered into her husband's ear, " _That_ is not the ' _she_ ' he was asking for."

Richard, eyes wide, scrutinized Derek's face, bleakly realizing that Adele was correct.

Addison was happy all right. Positively thrilled as she clutched her husband in a tight embrace, her face shining with relief and the aftershock of her panicked state throughout the hellish day, _but Derek_? Derek had yet to lose the expression of manic desperation, his eyes wildly scouring the vicinity for somebody that was _not_ his wife.

 ****GA****

"There's someone at the door for you," Izzie softly addressed Celia, who had been unresponsive in Meredith's embrace on the couch in front of the fireplace ever since she returned from the hospital four hours ago.

After having fainted, Celia was awakened by the sensation of cold water colliding against her skin. Although they felt like lead, the Latina managed to open her eyelids and saw that Meredith, Cristina and Izzie had carried her into the shower and were diligently removing all the blood, flesh and debris that coated her like a second skin. Once she was somewhat decent, Richard and Adele showered her with hugs and affection before they promptly sent her home with Meredith under strict orders to rest.

Celia had been in a state of shock ever since, not bothering to expel any words and definitely not any tears. What she did do, however, was burst into hysterical laughter like a deranged pyscho, exclaiming that she escaped a freaking bomb with a tiny scratch on her forehead and a bruised back, while Dylan – sweet, brave Dylan – ended up becoming pink mist. Half an hour later, she allowed Meredith to spoon her and Celia returned to her silent state, mourning Dylan in silence.

She dragged her feet to the front door which had been left ajar by Izzie and while her face remained morose and impassive, her eyes fractionally widened in surprise at her unexpected visitor.

She stared at him expectantly, not bothering to fill in the silence that enveloped them.

Derek on the other hand, his face lit up with relief and he expelled a loud breath, a soft smile materializing on his devastatingly handsome face, "You almost died today."

Celia inclined her head in agreement, and in a raspy, barely audible voice, murmured, "I know."

He looked pained for a moment and parted his lips, ready to take back all the hurtful things he said, ready to confess _something_ to her, _anything_ , but instead, he turned his back, stepped outside and whispered, "I'm glad you didn't die today."

The door closed softly behind him and Celia trudged back into Meredith's warm embrace.

 **If this was your last day on Earth, how would you wanna spend it?**

 **A/N:** **This was a long chapter! Whew!**

 **I've been waiting for this chapter ever since I began writing this story, and I am so thrilled with it! I hope you like it as well… This Chapter is** _ **very**_ **important to future chapters, just FYI.**

 **Dylan, Dylan, Dylan… I honestly adored him and hated the fact that he died. I know it might seem odd and very OOC of Celia to get attached to him and see him in a romantic light, but hey, death does crazy things to people, it makes people come out of their shell. Celia thought she was gonna die so I think that's a perfectly good reason to discard her mask, don't you think?**

 **Don't worry, we haven't seen the last of Dylan… ;) but I gotta admit… I am totally pissed at the direction my story was going for a short moment 'cause I could really imagine Celia and Dylan together…** _ **Oh well**_ **.**

 **The flashbacks shed light to a part of Celia's past… it will be stressed upon in details later as the story progresses. && About the whole Moirai concept: like in canon, Meredith's mind conjured Derek, Celia's conjured the Fates… so yeah, they don't really exist, just a hallucination. Hope you liked the twist from canon. =)**

 **Next chapter: We will be tackling SO many issues… there will be a confrontation between: 1) Richard and Celia – about damn time! 2) Celia and Derek –** _ **finally**_ **! 3) Derek and Kane – and that's gonna be** _ **very**_ **interesting.**

 **Also, next chapter, there might be an introduction to a special OC of mine… ;)**

 **Question:** **What should I do about Denny Duquette? Should I have him live or die? The poll… starts…** _ **NOW!**_

 **R &R.**


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